Huntress Jeanne
by nihongoneko
Summary: Maron is less magical girl and more Amazoness. She fights with her strength and agility instead of just spiritual power. Chiaki is still a perv, but Maron is more mature. FINN IS NOT EVIL! MaronxChiaki, FinnxAccess, JeannexSinbad
1. Maron the Huntress, but still Kaitou

I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish and more like... well, have you ever seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or uhhhh... Jackie Chan? Well, sort of like that. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Fin is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Fin having to be bad (sob sob sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Chiaki and Access will appear soon too, so be patient. I just want to let you get use to the idea of this new Maron and Fin first, so it might be a bit. But... happy readings!!!

ratings- T (for possible implied stuff (oh who am I kidding, stuff will definitely be implied, especially with Chiaki there. we all know that) and language (though I did not necessarily put or plan to put these in every chapter- the language and suggestive stuff, I mean). I might change it later if I have to up to M, but I'm not planning on it at all, so it's safe (well, safe for a rated T fanfic anyway).)

author- nihogoneko

genre- romance, action/adventure

fanfiction name- Huntress Jeanne

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to me and my army of the undead writers and our fuzzy creatures. You have been warned.

(by the way, the first chapters' kind of short, but just bear with me for a bit on this one. I need to start it off somewhere.)

-

Chapter One- Maron the Huntress (but still Kaitou Jeanne)

Finn (is it one or two n's by the way? I'll just put two to be safe, but if you happen to know it, please tell me) Fish knew that her job was to find the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc and help her awaken her powers to become Kaitou Jeanne and fight against Satan's evil minions. But she had never expected the girl to be so... able. Instead of transforming into a kwaii-ish magical girl and fight with only magical powers like Finn thought that she would, the girl transformed into an amazoness of a woman, and fought with her own strength and agility against the demons. She took advantage of the supernatural boast that she gained during the transformation instead of God's, and her own, spiritual power. It was actually not such a bad thing, considering that if she used _that_ instead, the police would catch on less, and her power could be saved for emergencies. Plus, it was... refreshing to have such a strong and confident girl as her partner.

It wasn't that she _had_ no magical abilities, but that she chose not to use them if she didn't have to that made the semi-angel happy. Finn guessed that the girl must feel like she had too much of an advantage when she ran from the police if she used her power. It never seemed fair to her either that they had about about zero chance to catch her if she used her powers, when they all believed that she was stealing and breaking the law. At least give them a chance to do what they thought was right.

She wasn't squeamish either. She did what had to be done, with little complaint (and no all this is not saying that I think that the original Maron is weak or anything. I want this to just be Finn's thoughts on how she does her job. And by the way, I think that Finn probably thought this either way, because Maron rarely complained about her job as a kaitou.) She was especially proud that the girl was trusting enough in her power to jump off extremely high buildings to transform (which scared me when I first saw her do it, by the way. Seriously. In the anime, it never told how she was able to do that and not be scared.It made me wonder, what if _I was Maron _and I was transforming for the first time and I was told to jump off that tower?).

Maybe she was just becoming besotted with the girl. She _did_ have quite a nice personality. And such a deep thinker too! And she was always so considerate of everyone's feelings. Finn sighed happily. Her job was wonderful. She was so _lucky _to have such a great partner!

-

It was night time. The clock struck ten. Miyako waited, tension showing throughout her whole body. Tonight... tonight she would catch Jeanne. She was sure of it.

The notice was for 10: 15. The trap was set with plenty of time to spare to make a quick check.

She glanced around at the officers and equipment. They were all in position.

Yup. Everything was in place. Now all they had to do was wait...

-

Jeanne stared at the museum from off in her spot on a nearby tree branch. It was close to her destination, but not too close as to be spotted by a stray light or a wandering guards' eye. Just the right distance for her legs to be able to push off and propel her over the first watcher. Then the fun could begin.

She grinned, but she didn't dare let out a sound. She wanted this to go off without a hitch so that she could go home early tonight. She still had shopping to do. One, she needed an excuse for being out when Miyako returned to the building so she wouldn't get suspicious. Though she had to admit, she didn't think that Miyako had ever thought that she may be Jeanne. But it was better to be cautious around her then get caught on a careless error. And two, because she really needed that milk for Finn.

The clocks' minute hand moved. It was now 10: 14.

'Ready...' she thought.

"Game... Start!"


	2. Game Start!

I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob sob sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!!!

ratings- T (for implied stuff because of Chiaki) and language (though I did not necessarily put or plan to put these in every chapter- the language and suggestive stuff, I mean). I might change it later if I have to up to M, but I'm not planning on it at all, so it's safe (well, safe for a rated T fanfic anyway. you all know what I mean).)

author- nihogoneko

genre- romance, action/adventure

fanfiction name- Huntress Jeanne

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. They have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

-

previously in chapter one...

_The clocks' minute hand moved. It was now 10: 14._

'_Ready...' she thought._

"_Game... Start!"_

and now... on with the story!!!

_-_

Chapter Two- Game Start!!!

Jeanne leaped from her hiding place, out into the open. The watchman looked in the direction of the noise, failing to notice both Jeanne as she flew by, propelled by her kick, and her traditional battle yell, which was snatched away before it reached his ears by the wind she caused by her sudden and fast movement. He turned back to his post, shrugging off the noise as nothing.

_He must be new_, Jeanne thought as she flew easily over him. No one else would have ignored the sound, because all of the regular cops knew that it had always signaled her entrance.

However, the next watchman _did_ notice her, and promptly shouted into his radio to warn Miyako and her father. Jeanne let him do it as she hit the ground and slipped past the other three watchmen who had come out to greet her. Even if she did choose to stop him, what would the point be of keeping Miyako from knowing when she arrived if she was going to see her soon anyway?

Jeanne smiled. She sprung up onto one of the ledges near the roof of the museum, and slipped through its huge window. She couldn't wait to see her friend and learn what trap was set for her this time.

In a whirl of ribbons and a dazzling, she shouted her presence

"To seal the evil born of the night, the heaven sent Kaitou Jeanne must take flight!!! Hello boys and girls! I'm baaaack!!"

"Jeanne!!!" there was a flurry of activity below her as she jumped off the window ledge into the museum.

"Tonight I shall steal yet another treacherous beauty!" she announced.

She landed lightly onto the ground and twisted and flipped her way through the mass of officers.

She reached the end of the mob, unscathed and untouched, leaving behind a gaggle of muttering cops. They could never understand how she got through all of them without a bruise to show for it.

"Sorry, boys!" she shouted back to them as she advanced. "Better luck next time!" and she took off running down the hallway where she knew that the picture was, because Finn had scouted it earlier, like always.

Suddenly, a little further down the hall, a figure appeared.

"Kaitou Jeanne!! Tonight I shall capture you for sure!"

It was Miyako. Jeanne grinned an even bigger smile. "Detective, we meet again." she said, not breaking stride.

She continued to run, straight for Miyako, yet the girl didn't look a bit worried. In fact, as she got within three yards of her, Miyako suddenly smirked.

"Now!!!" she shouted, and suddenly, Jeanne felt herself being pulled upwards.

She was caught in a net.

-

Miyako couldn't help but to grin as she watched Jeanne struggle to get upright in her trap. Actually, it was only part one of the trap, the other parts being there in case the net didn't hold Jeanne like some of the officers seemed to think that it would. If Jeanne couldn't get out of it though, Miyako knew that she would be really disappointed in the kaitou. She's seen Jeanne get out of a lot worse.

"Good work, Miss. Miyako!! We caught the infamous thief Jeanne!" It was an officer, one of the ones who had been guarding the outside posts. He was new, which would explain why he was so happy so early in the game. He had also, apparently, not seen a Jeanne make her entrance, Miyako thought, because it wasn't him that had radio-ed her arrival, but the officer further in and closer to the museum. (Yes, Miyoako memorized the positioning of the guards. She's that obsessed with capturing Jeanne that she want to know who to blame if something goes wrong.)

It wasn't over yet. Somehow, Miyako knew it, and so did the other officers. That's why even though Jeanne was in the net, they all stood at attention. All except for the rookie. He was grinning from ear to ear. She frowned at him as he remained oblivious. It was never that simple. She opened her mouth.

"Go back to your post. It isn't over yet."

He looked confused then, by the order. "We have her, Miyako. Just look at the net. She's trapped."

Just as she was about to open her mouth again, she heard a sound from the direction of the trap where Jeanne was held. She spun her head around to look, but it was too late. Jeanne was gone. Miyako frowned and turned back to the guard.

The officer, looking at her expression, turned towards the failed trap. Seeing what was left of the net, he started to stutter.

"She...escaped. B-but how?... I thought..."

"You_ idiot_!" Miyako hissed as she pulled out her radio to signal part two of the trap before Jeanne got too far, more upset that Jeanne had escaped (even though she knew that it would happen- she just wanted to see how Jeanne would manage to escape it) than by anything he had done, which he didn't seem to realize. "She's not The Infamous Thief for nothing! Her abilities are too well honed for a simple net to stop her! I only put it up there to slow her down so that the officers at the next part of the trap would be prepared for her entrance!"

"..." he looked at her for a minute, then bowed. "I'm sorry. I was foolish."

Miyako ignored him. She wasn't really mad at him, but the quicker he understood that Jeanne could not be underestimated, the faster he'd be able to help them hopefully capture her. If not this time, then the next. And she hated to admit it, but she could really use a few extra men to help her capture Jeanne. And an oblivious man was useless. (sounds harsh, but it was true)

"Dad" she spoke into her radio "She's escaped already. Jeanne's coming your way."

"Understood. We're ready, Miyako." he radioed back to her.

Miyako grinned, her briefly bad mood gone. Jeanne was in for a _big_ suprise when she reached the end of the hall.

-

Jeanne was now about halfway to her destination, and yet nothing else had happened to her yet. She kept all of her instincts open- she wasn't naive enough to hope that Miyako had only set up the net with no backup plan. No, Miyako knew her better than that. And she knew Miyako better than that. She had to of planned something else up ahead. Either that, or there would be something in the room where her target was. Miyako just wouldn't be Miyako if she gave up so easily.

Jeanne was three steps away from the end of the hallway when she happened to see the floor glitter under the light that came in from a window. Even a freshly waxed floor shouldn't be _that_ shiny.

At the third step, Jeanne leapt high into the air, sailing over what she had recognized as a thin but would-of-been effective layer of what seemed to be oil and grease on the floor- enough that if she hadn't seen it, she'd of been on her back the minute her foot hit the floor- though, if she knew Miyako, she'd probably stick to it until the cops managed to get down the hall if she ever touched it. Jeanne allowed herself a brief minute while air-born to wonder how Miyako and then cleaned up half of the messes that were made every time she stole something.

Landing safely a good three yards away from the hidden trap, Jeanne risked a quick scan around her for anymore floor traps. Satisfied that there were no more, or at least no more stick ones, she dashed off down the next hallway. Once she reached the end of it, she'd be right in front of the room where her target was on display, and she'd also be in the place where Miyako had probably set up her biggest trap of the night. In truth, Miyako and she both knew that the traps up until she reached her destination were child's play for her to avoid and escape- but Miyako always hoped that she may one day mess up, just a little bit, and then she'd be truly caught and brought to justice. Which, for Miyoako, would mean finding out that her best friend was a thief (even though she didn't actually steal for money, but no one knew that but her, Finn, the demons and devils she fought, and, of course, Kami himself). There was more than one reason that Jeanne didn't want to be caught. And Miyako didn't know it, but she was at the top of the list of why.

-

Miyako, in the meantime, was racing down a similar but trap-free hallway that would take her directly to the exhibit that Jeanne hoped to steal. The hallway that Jeanne had took was actually the shortest way- all she had to do was go straight through two hallways to the room- but Miyako knew that if her small traps didn't stop the kaitou, it would at least slow her down a bit, even if it was just to look out for and avoid them. However, if she got caught in one of them before reaching her destination, Miyako wouldn't complain. Not one bit.

Miyako increased her speed a bit, careful not to expend all of her energy before she got there. That Jeanne must be some kind of superhero or something, she thought a little bitterly. She was in better shape than anyone that she had ever seen.It didn't always seem fair.

Miyako grinned. _But tonight, Jeanne, I'll capture you for sure!_

-

Maron returned home, a little later than she planned. It wasn't that Miyako made her late, but the line at the store tonight was longer than normal. But she _did_ get the milk for Finn. The little semi-angel would be _estatic_.

She opened her door and waited until she had closed it until she called for her friend. After all she didn't need anyone thinking that she was talking to herself. It wasn't a diss to Finn, but in truth, no one but Maron could see her, so she didn't see reason to call attention to the fact more than necessary. She also thought that it might keep Finn happy, since the little semi-anigel seemed _determined_ to make her the greatest of God's avengers, and the last thing Finn needed was a partner that everyone thought was crazy. But that aside, she stood in the doorway and took off her shoes while she waited for the little green-haired girl to appear. It didn't take long.

"Maron!! Welcome home!!" The little semi-angel greeted her companion with a bright smile.

"Did you seal the demon?" (as we all know, Finn is really only needed to do that thing to Maron's communicator to make it work, and the rest is up to Jeanne. so the Finn in my story stays home most of the time in confidence that Maron can do the job herself. Though she _will_ be going on some missions.)

"Yup! And look Finn, I got milk!"

"Yay!!" the girl (though not really a girl, but she seems like one, right?) squealed. "Milk for our cookies!!!" and floated off towards the kitchen to take said cookies out of the cupboard for a night snack.

Maron smiled in the direction that Finn left in, as she stepped into the apartment. Tonight had gone well, and another demon was sealed in a chess piece.

"Maron!" Finn called. "Milk and cookies." she wined, reminding her partner who had the milk.

"One minute, Finn!" she called back as she took off her shoes. "I'll be right there!"

She reached into her pocket and took out tonight's chess piece. Then, walking over to her chess board, she placed it with the others. If collecting the pieces wasn't so serious, Maron thought that it would be fun to play a game sometime. But she hasn't played chess since she started collecting these particular pieces. She stared fornlorely at the over half empty board. It was like a bar that rated her life now. She sort of wished that she could share it with someone, but her mission was from God himself, and strictly private. The only ones that knew of her real job was her, Finn, and the demons. Sighing softly, she turned towards the kitchen, and Finn, who was once again calling her for the milk. She wasn't regretting anything, she just was a bit lonely.

Maron passed a picture of a young girl and two grownups on her way to the kitchen without even a glance. From their place in their frame, the little girl and her parents smiled at the unknown photographer, unaware of what the future had in store for them, and the sadder times ahead.

-

end chapter two

-

end of chapter notes: so, do you know who that picture that Maron has is of? unlike most people here (so it seems), I'm still in school, and finals start friday. so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out. though, to be honest, it took quite awhile to get this one out too, didn't it? (


	3. Enter Chiaki

Chapter Three-Enter Chiaki

summary- I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob sob sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!!!

ratings- T (for implied stuff because of Chiaki) and language (though I did not necessarily put or plan to put these in every chapter- the language and suggestive stuff, I mean). I might change it later if I have to up to M, but I'm not planning on it at all, so it's safe (well, safe for a rated T fanfic anyway. you all know what I mean). :)

fanfiction name- Huntress Jeanne

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. They have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

Sorry it's taken so long for this chapter to come out. I'm embarrassed to say I sort of forgot about it for awhile. Anyway, here it is. Sorry again.

and now... on with the story!!!

--

The next day, Maron woke to Miyako pounding on her front door.

"Maron! Maron! Wake up!"

"Miyako...?"

"Come on, Maron. It's almost time for school!"

-

.Maron POV.

Maron yawned as unobtrusively as possible as she listened to Miyako rant and rave about Kaitou Jeanne escaping yet again from one of her traps on their way to school. When Miyako looked at her, an annoyed look on her face, Maron smiled at her.

"You'll get her next time, Miyako. I'm sure your next trap will get her."

"You're right, Maron. I shouldn't get so upset. I'll get her next time." Miyako smiled at her best friend, clenching her fist up near her chest in eager anticipation, energized again.

They managed to reach school on time- but barely before the bell, as always. Maron had just taken her seat when their teacher entered. Following her was a boy, but after a brief glance at him, Maron turned away to open her bag. He was cute, even handsome, more so than all the boys in her class, she surmised. But at present time, she was too busy with stopping demons to have any romance in her life. It was a bit sad, and she paused at this thought briefly. It was a phrase she'd used before. When her parents had stopped contacting her, after they had both left, going separate ways, leaving her alone. That was when she had first thought that her life had grown to a crawl. That was before Finn, before she found something else to drive her to get up in the morning with any enthuaism or positive energy.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that Maron missed the whole introduction and seating assignment of the new kid. It wasn't until he had taken the empty seat next to hers that she actually looked up and pushed aside her train of thought for another time, mentally checking her facial expression to ensure that none of what she had been thinking had shown. She looked at him, and he grinned at her. The girls in her class squealed at the upward turn of his lips, but Maron's gaze passed over him shortly after, not even noticing how brilliant it was. Her mind was still a bit side tracked with her thoughts, and she missed the look Miyako was giving the transfer, as well as the after expression in the boys eyes.

.Chiaki POV.

When Maron turned away from him, Chiaki found himself a tiny bit stunned and disappointed. All the other girls in the class seemed to like him fine. But she had as good as dismissed him- with one look! Did she not like him? Or did she hate boys or something? Or maybe... she had a boyfriend? He frowned inwardly a bit at these thoughts. It would definitely make his job harder, that's for sure. But he quickly cheered up. She was cute, and she wasn't drooling over him. That bit of her he liked already. Of course, he'd like her better if she had shown some interest in him, but nothing that a little time and effort wouldn't fix. Besides, he had just moved into her apartment complex. She'd be seeing a lot more of him than she currently figured she might, even though he was already seated next to her. And if he pursued her openly, she'd have to pay some sort attention to him. Patience, he told himself. He had more than enough time to get her to warm up to him. With that decided, Chiaki leaned back in his chair and faced the front of the room, smiling. He was such an optimist. He deliberately focused his attention towards the teacher standing at the blackboard. Class was about to start.

-

.Maron POV.

School had ended, and Maron was now in the gym for the gymnastics team. Miyako had finally stopped talking about Kaitou Jeanne in lieu of talking her ear of about the new boy in their class, Chiaki. It was apparent that Miyako liked the guy, considering that she was even now planning their wedding. Sure, he was handsome, Maron thought to herself, but there were plenty of handsome guys out there. Why focus on this one?

Sadly, the relief she felt over her best friend getting off the topic of her alter-ego didn't last long. Chiaki seemed to be Miyako's newest favorite subject.

"But Miyako, you know that any guy you're with probably wouldn't be too thrilled about you chasing a criminal like Kaitou Jeanne. And what about your dream of being a cop? Surely Chiaki wouldn't approve of something dangerous like that."

"Maron, he's my ideal guy. Of course he'd be okay with it! And...And in that case that he's not, I just won't be a cop then."

Maron was shocked. Was Miyako really serious? It was her lifelong dream to be a cop like her father!

"But Miyako, you've always wanted to be a cop! What about your dream to chase down the bad guys and keep peace and justice?"

"If the guy that I love won't accept my dream, then I'd gladly choose him over it any day." Miyako said with conviction, her fist clenched in front of her, raised to chest level- her signature move of determination. But Maron noticed a slight shake in her best friends' tightly clenched fingers. Miyako had followed her dream for years, eventually leading her to the Jeanne case. Sure it would be a big advantage to not have Miyako and her crazy schemes around while she sealed demons, but not at the cost of Miyako's happiness.

"Miyako," Maron started, a bit silently, staring off ahead almost sadly. "You shouldn't have to give up your dream for anyone."

Miyako looked at her friend, her best friend in the whole world, and noticed the far off look in Maron's eyes. She knew that Maron wished for nothing more but than to see both her parents again, something she's been hoping for for years. Miyako opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a male voice.

"What's with the serious faces, girls?"

It was Chiaki.

"Ah, Chiaki-sama! What are you doing here?" Miyako asked, her personality suddenly hyper happy with a big smile pasted on her face. They were in front of the apartment complex that both Miyako's family and Maron lived in.

"I live here." he said, giving her and Maron a smile.

"Nani? Really?" Miyako squealed, her hands clasped together in front of her. "That's wonderful! Ne, Maron?" She turned to her friend, and instead found an empty space next to her. "Maron?" She looked around until she spotted her. Maron was at her mailbox, and had just closed it with a depressed sigh.

"What's up with her?" Chiaki asked, inclining his head towards the girl. Apparently, he had noticed the sigh too.

"Oh, nothing that you should worry about." Miyako said, turning back to him with a slightly forced smile. She ushered him inside the building with a hand on his back. "Maron is just waiting for something. C'mon, I'll show you around."

But despite Miyako's reassurance, Chiaki's eyes followed Maron until the elevator doors closed. Something was nagging his brain about Maron's behavior. Something that caused him to worry about her. Chiaki checked that last thought. Nah. There was no way that he was worried about Maron. He barely even knew her. And, he added as an afterthought, it would just make things more complicated.

end chapter three.

-

end chapter notations: sorry it took so long to get this update out. I don't know why it took so long. Must've been a bad case of writer's block. :(


	4. Jeanne vs Sinbad

Chapter Four- Jeanne vs Sinbad

summary- I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob sob sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!!

ratings- T (for implied stuff because of Chiaki) and language (though I did not necessarily put or plan to put these in every chapter- the language and suggestive stuff, I mean). I might change it later if I have to up to M, but I'm not planning on it at all, so it's safe (well, safe for a rated T fanfic anyway. you all know what I mean). :)

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. They have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

Sorry it's taken so long for this chapter to come out. I'm embarrassed to say I sort of forgot about it (again) for awhile. Anyway, here it is. Sorry again.

and now... on with the story!!

ps. in case not one had realized from the title, Sinbad makes his first appearance in this chapter. Yay! :)

--

.Maron POV.

She felt like she was floating in the air. As Jeanne, she was able to leap so high- higher than any human had a right to. It felt great, and came in handy for stuff like this.

As she cleared the fence in a single bound, Maron (currently Jeanne) pulled out her ribbon and aimed it at the wimdow. _Score!_ It caught! She pulled once to test it before swinging up and flipping in the sair to the windowsill. Tonight's break in would be a cinch. The police didn't even seem to be here. Of course, it probably meant that they were hiding, but then, that was half of the fun.

She got in without a problem, and her footsteps were silent of the floor. '_Second floor, third room on the right.'_ she mentally reminded herself, having had Finn scout out the building earlier. It was a mansion, of sorts. The rooms were all tastefully decorated, and pictures hung on the walls. But this time, it wasn't a picture she was after- it was a statue.

She had just stepped into the last room, a ballroom, surprised that nothing had happened yet, when a net came down from the ceiling. A quick flick from her wrist had her ribbon tear it to shreds. Jeanne turned at the sound of footsteps. All the lights turned on, and she saw that police men had formed a circle around her.

"Freeze, Kaitou Jeanne! We've trapped you this time!"

She felt a smirk stretch her lips in a grin as they attempted to cut off any escape route. With a simple leap, she soared over their heads with little effort (much to their amazement). She landed outside of the circle of men and blew them a kiss.

"Better luck next time!" she told to them before turning and raced across the ballroom floor. By luck, a glint managed to catch her eyes. She looked up and saw her target, hanging from the ceiling. The glint had been from it's polished marble surface reflecting the chandelier lights.

The police had hung the statue from a heavy dudy rope at the ceiling. How clever. If she had been a normal thief, she might not of had a chance to get it. Thankfully, though, she wasn't an ordinry thief. And getting to the statue was more important than stealing it for money. She had the motivation, and the abilities. With a toss of her hand, she shot her ribbon up towards the ceiling beams.

Suddenly, a boomerang shot out of nowhere and knocked her ribbon away, over halfway to her target. Jeanne's eyes tracked its original path through the air until she came across an unfamiliar person. He was standing on the sill on one of the large windows, distanced over halfway across the ballroom- farther from the statue than she was.

The man lept down from the sill with grace and ease- a feat and confidence that only came from someone who had something to break their fall (a stunt), or, considering the fact that he obviously _had_ nothing to break his fall, someone like her.

"_Another_ thief?" Miyako exclaimed, coming from the group of cops. Her face showed both her shock and annoyance and, slightly (which maron only saw because she knew Miyako so well), her excitement at possibly being able to capture another criminal.

"Kaitou Sinbad-"

The man said, bowing slightly in a bow, a smile on his face that Jeanne could see even behind the scarf covering his face.

"-at your service."

A bit peeved that someone else was after her target, she turned away from the spectacle and began to throw her ribbon up at the ceiling again. But in her position and with her previous pause, she had lost her advantage and couldn't bring herself around in time to fend off the cop that reached for her.

Jeanne watched in what appeared like slow motion as the cop grabbed her arm.

-

.Chiaki POV.

He winked at Miyako, who immediately got angry. She shouted for someone to catch him as he dodged all of the cops. Sinbad couldn't help but grin widly. It was so cute how they tried so hard. It was like a circus. He looked over to where Jeanne was and almost stumbled. She had been caught!

He began to rush towards her (after all, how could he do his job if she was captured? plus, they'd find out her identity, and he didn't think Miyako would want to know that her best friend was her greatest enemy. he wasn't completely heartless, after all.)

Before he could reach her, however, Jeanne knocked the cop that had grabbed her away and lept over his head, dodging his second attempt as if it was nothing, before using her ribbon to get her to the ceiling. Sinbad was impressed, and his one second of motionless almost cost him.

He barely had time to dodge out of the way of another net as he lept for the ceiling, where Jeanne had gone. She was right near the picture. If he could just angle it right...

A dark pin appeared in his hand and he threw it at the same time that Jeanne noticed his presence closing in on her- a surprised look on her face. He was going to get the target before she did- what better a way to show her how good her new rival is than to steal it from right under her nose?

"Checkmate!" he shouted in triumph, and couldn't stop the grin from splitting his lips. The pin was going to hit the mark...

end chapter four.

end chapter notations: Sorry again for making all you readers wait so long for another chapter. And sorry also for making it so short. I promise the next chapter'll be out in _a lot_ less time than it took to get this one out! Promise!


	5. Foiled and Triumph

Chapter Five- Foiled and Triumph

summary- I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob sob sob).

So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!!

ratings- T (for implied stuff because of Chiaki) and language (though I did not necessarily put or plan to put these in every chapter- the language and suggestive stuff, I mean). I might change it later if I have to up to M, but I'm not planning on it at all, so it's safe (well, safe for a rated T fanfic anyway. you all know what I mean). :)

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. They have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

--

previously in chapter four...

_Sinbad barely had time to dodge out of the way of another net as he leapt for the ceiling, where Jeanne had gone. She was right near the picture. If he could just angle it right..._

_A dark pin appeared in his hand and he threw it at the same time that Jeanne noticed his presence closing in on her- a surprised look on her face._

_"Checkmate!" he shouted._

and now... on with the story!!

-

.Sinbad POV.

The pin sailed through the air at a fast pace. It was arching perfectly. It was going to hit! Suddenly, Jeanne's arm shot out...

and caught his pin.

.Jeanne POV.

Sinbad's mouth gaped open. It was so comical that she almost smiled and laughed. But it'd ruin her image as a mysterious kaitou, so instead she pulled out her own pin, said

"Evil, born of darkness, I command thee in God's name, demon be sealed! Checkmate!"

and jabbed it into the artwork at her side. In a flash, a white chess piece appeared in its place and, with a smirk, she tossed Sinbad's pin back to him as she caught her pawn.

"Better luck next time." she called down to his motionless, shock-filled form, and then used her ribbon to open the window and leapt outside.

.Miyako POV.

She watched the female kaitou leave in amazement. The statue had disappeared into this air, right in front of their eyes. Again! Her head turned to see the second kaitou- Sinbad- still standing there in shock. Well, she'd be too if Jeanne had just stolen the statue she was going to steal like that right from under her. Which reminded her...

"Catch him!" she shouted, pointing to Sinbad to redirect the officers attentions back to the matter at hand (they had all been staring up at Jeanne with her, the fools).

Her shout seemed to shake the kaitou out of his trance, and he immediately bolted for a door.

"Don't let him escape!" she shouted to them as they raced after him. Miyako grabbed up a gun from the floor that, when she pulled the trigger, would release a net. She was determined to get at least one kaitou tonight.

-

.Maron POV.

"I can't believe that they both got away again!" Miyako was ranting, her fists clenched tightly in front of her. "It's so annoying! I almost had them!"

"I'm sure you'll get them next time." Chiaki said, smiling at Miyako. The girl's eyes immediately turned lovey-dovey.

"Oh, you just wait! I will!" Miyako replied, eager to impress the boy.

Maron, in the meantime, yawned. She couldn't wait to get to school. Although last night had been pretty exciting, she was going to have to be a bit more careful with how late Finn told the police she'd be there. The last thing she needed was to loose more sleep. As it was, they had a test third period, which she hadn't studied for because of the heist, which meant cramming during homeroom. Again.

"Oy, Maron, are you alright?"

She turned to find Miyako staring at her, worry on her face.

"I'm fine." Maron assured her, waving her hand dismissively at her friend at the same that she used her other hand to cover another yawn. "I didn't sleep too well last night, is all."

"You really should go to be earlier."

"I- (yawn)- I know. I will."

Feeling someone watching her, Maron turned, only to stare into the eyes of none other than Chiaki. He was looking at her with a serious, unreadable expression on his face.

"..."

She turned her head away and frowned. What was that all about?

-

She made it through the day fairly well, and Maron was personally very proud with herself for not falling asleep during the history lesson. Now in her after school gymnastics club with Miyako, she bounced a rubber ball on the floor, thinking. The look Chiaki had given her... it wasn't a normal look. He was hiding something. And that kaitou Sinbad... He wasn't very adept at his job, was he? Why was he trying to one-up her anyway?

Suddenly, Maron's head shot up as she sense a presence close by. And not just any presence- it was a demon! She turned slowly, hoping that no one noticed her scan the room, until she faced the gym doors, which were slightly opened. A guy walked past, and yes, she could practically _see_ the evil radiating off him.

Maron smirked. It looked like she'd be out late again tonight too.

.Chiaki POV.

Chiaki was walking along the side of the school, having heard that Maron was part of gymnastics club and decided to scout it out, when he felt the presence of a demon. He paused for a second before silently creeping around the corner. Peeking around it, he spotted it right away- it had possessed a guy from their class, who was now walking past the doors of the gym.

Chiaki smirked. Tonight, Jeanne, he would capture the target!

-

He got to the destination ten minutes early, prepared to scout out the place from the outside, so that he would know where he was going when the time came. He refused to try to "steal" the painting earlier that Jeanne has told the police she would be there. If he was going to get it, he wanted to do it fair and square. Or, at least as fair as a kaitou could be.

"Sinbad, are you ready?"

Access, the dark angel, and his partner, floated into view, having just returned from scouting out the inside of the building.

"Yeah. She won't get it this time." Sinbad said with a smile.

.Jeanne POV.

"Okay. I'm ready."

She tugged her gloves one more time to ensure that they were on tight enough before standing on the branch that she was perched in.

"Jeanne, are you sure? What if Sinbad arrived again?"

Finn had decided to come along tonight, worried after hearing about the second kaitou. She planned to lend a hand finding the painting, and help guide Jeanne to an exit if they needed a quick getaway.

"I'm fine. He hasn't beat me yet, and I'm not about to let my guard down tonight either."

"Good."

"Okay then. Ready..." Jeanne looked up to the clock tower a distance away, watching the hands tick. The second hand moved once, twice, three times

_Bong! _

_Bong! _

_Bong!_

it began its ten times ring, signaling ten o'clock.

Jeanne smiled, energized.

"Game Start!"

She leapt from the tree, as graceful as if she had wings, and began her run onto the house property.

.Miyako POV.

She heard the clock tower begin its chimes, and knew that the kaitou's would be arriving soon.

"Okay everyone, in your places!" she shouted to be heard over the chimes as they continued. People rushed to their positions, each armed with the tools and equipment sure to catch Jeanne this time.

Miyako smirked.

_Just try to get past me this time, Kaitou Jeanne!_

.Chiaki POV.

Chiaki and Access traded looks as the clock tower went off, counting down to the time of their entrance.

"You ready, Access?"

"Ready when you are, Sinbad."

"Okay, lead me through." He tugged the cloth around his forehead once more for good measure, a smile gracing his lips as he anticipated how the night would turn out.

"Ready... Go!"

.Miyako POV.

_Bong! _

_Bong! _

_Bong! _

_Bong..._

The chimes ended, leaving the room silent, quiet.

Miyako felt the adrenaline rush through her blood, knowing that Jeanne would arrive any moment now. She couldn't wait!

Suddenly...

"(chuckle) My my my. A reception party. I didn't think that I was so well liked."

Miyako spun around the room, trying to locate the direction of the speaker.

All of a sudden, the room felt cold, as if someone had opened a window.

Miyako gasped as understanding dawned, and turned her head upwards just in time to see the kaitou jump from the windowsill to the ground, not five feet away.

"We meet again, Miyako." Jeanne smiled, a hand on her hips.

"Yes we do..." Miyako replied, a grin on her own face. "And it'll be out last time! _Now_!"

Immediately, everyone, including Miyako, reached into their pockets and threw down smoke bombs. The moment she released hers, Miyako reached into her other pocket and whipped out her rope gun, aiming and firing at the kaitou.

She caught a glimpse of shock on Jeanne's face, and smiled with victory. But just before the smoke covered the kaitou from view, Jeanne's shock disappeared, and she smiled, staring directly into Miyako's eyes, and Miyako immediately knew that she had been had.

"No!"

She coughed as she inhaled the smoke, before reaching at her back for her gas mask.

"She escaped! Jeanne escaped! Open the vents!"

Her order was quickly obeyed, and in seconds, the smoke was cleared. Miyako had been right. Jeanne was gone.

She threw down her mask, where it clattered on the floor.

"Damn it!"

.Jeanne POV.

She laughed as she ran down the hallway, towards the painting. It had been so much fun to fool Miyako like that!

"Jeanne, to your right!" Finn directed, guiding her. Obediently, Jeanne turned right, down a different hallway-

and almost crashed right into Sinbad.

.Sinbad POV.

He screeched to a halt in an attempt to avoid knocking Jeanne over, only to find that it had been unnecessary.

Jeanne flew over his head in a graceful tumble, landing on her feet and continuing to run. He stared, stunned, facing the direction she was running in.

Jeanne glanced back at him with a smile.

"Where are you going?" she asked, although it was more like she said it.

Then she disappeared from sight down another hallway.

"..."

He stood there for a moment longer, his brain on stand-by, the noises from down the other hall (where the police and Miyako apparently were) seeming muted, before it all clicked.

"Access! We're going the wrong way!"

"_Ahh_!"

Immediately, he took off after the other kaitou, running as fast as his legs would carry him, hoping that Jeanne wouldn't beat him to the room- and the painting.

Behind him, he heard the police, and the girl Miyako, running, chasing after Jeanne.

.Jeanne POV.

She made it to the room cautiously, checking to be sure that no one else was in it before entering.

"Jeanne." Finn whispered, pointing to the side of the door. Jeanne reached over and flipped on the light switch, bathing the room in light. Across from the doorway, displayed on the wall, was the painting.

Jeanne smiled.

"Too easy."

She walked up to it, pin in her hand ready to seal the demon before Sinbad or the police or Miyako came. She was on her third to last step when she heard a click.

Jeanne had an instant to regret not checking the floor before she was hauled up in a steel-lined net. It didn't take much thinking to figure out who was behind this.

"Sinbad!"

.Sinbad POV.

He made his appearance from behind the door, having had help from Access to mask his presence form Jeanne. He was still slightly out of breath, having leapt out a window and run across the grounds outside to beat Jeanne here without her noticing. It had been a close call, and his legs ached from running so hard so fast. Plus, he had had to climb in through another window to get back inside. It was worth it, though, to have gotten the drop on Jeanne for once. The look on her face for that split second that she realized she had been caught had been priceless.

He chuckled.

"Try escaping from that one, Jeanne. This one's mine."

Sinbad strolled up to the painting, careful to keep Jeanne in the corner of his vision. He wasn't about to turn his back on her, having her completely out of his sight. If, and when she escaped (as he knew she no doubt would in time), he wanted to be ready.

He lifted his black pin, before turning and smiling at Jeanne, and then pushing it into the painting.

"Checkmate."

The painting disappeared, and his pin turned into a black chess piece, which he caught in his outstretched hand.

"Better luck next time, Jeanne."

He wasn't sure what he expected her to do, but it definitely wasn't to smile at him.

"Congratulations." she said, before brandishing her ribbon and cutting the steel net to escape.

"You finally got one."

Jeanne chuckled, as if it was a private joke, before escaping out the window.

Again, Sinbad was left dumbstruck, as the noise down the hall grew closer, louder, before it clicked- again, it came a second too late.

"Wait- You mean she _let_ me win?!"

It was then that Miyako burst into the room, followed by the rest of the police officers.

She took one look at the frame, before looking at him. He stared back, still a bit stunned, the black pawn held loosely in his hand.

"Get him!" she shouted, and he raced to the window as the officers began to close in on him.

"See you later!" He saluted them with two fingers and a smile on his face before vaulting out of the frame and into the night.

.Jeanne POV.

She ran on the rooftops, feeling the cool night air.

"Well, he had to win sometime." she said, more to herself than to Finn, who was flying alongside her.

"Other than letting him have the demon, good job tonight, Jeanne." Finn complemented her with a smile.

"Thanks. Finn, if you want, you can go on ahead. I'm going to stay out for a bit."

"Okay, see you at home then!" the semi-angel waved happily at her, before accelerating on ahead, until she was soon far away.

Jeanne slowed to a stop on a roof. She stretched and yawned, before sighing and breathing in the fresh air. She stared up at the moon, which was almost full.

"How beautiful..."

She must've been pretty distracted, because the next thing she knew, someone grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face him.

It was Sinbad.

"Oh, wow, you caught up to me." she said, not really shocked, but a bit surprised that he had followed her. Good thing that she hadn't headed directly home.

"Did you let me win?" he asked, serious, holding up his black pawn for her to see. "Don't _let_ me win!"

His eyes were covered in shadow for a minute by his bangs as his grip on her wrist tightened and he pulled her closer.

"I don't want you to _let_ me win! If you keep doing that, soon you'll have none left. I'm going to be your rival as long as you do this, and I'm going to get better, I swear, and then it'll just get harder for you. So..."

She stared at him, waiting patiently for him to finish his rant. Her face was calm, but inside she was wondering why he cared how he managed to capture a demon, as long as he got one. That was the point, right? Why did he want to be her rival so much?

Then he looked directly into her eyes, determined, and his face shone in the light of the moon.

"I want you... to stop being a kaitou!" and then he pulled her closer and kissed her.

Maron felt her eyes grow wide with shock.

.Finn POV.

She was humming a tuneless song as she flew, happy. Jeanne had once again proven what a great kaitou she was. Even though she had let that guy Sinbad win that time, Finn still had faith in her. Besides, there was no harm in letting him have _one_ chess piece.

Suddenly she heard mumbling behind her. Finn spun around in midair to find out who it was, only to have her head collide with something hard.

.Access POV.

He had been mumbling to himself, going over what had happened that night. There was no doubt about it- that Kaitou Jeanne was good.

He was heading home alone (Sinbad had told him to go on ahead, saying that he had something to do first), thinking about a way that Sinbad could get an edge on Jeanne, when his head collided with something hard.

"Ow!"

He reeled back, holding his forehead, which probably had a bump on it.

"That smarts!"

"Ow..." another, higher, voice whined nearby.

Access froze. Wait... he recognized that voice...

Hoping he was wrong, he raised his head to look, his eyes still teary from the headbutt- only to come face to face with another, all too familiar, pair of eyes.

"Access?!" the owner of the eyes exclaimed.

"F-Finn!"

-

end chapter five.

end chapter notations: I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry that it took so long for me to update. I promise that it won't take tht long for the next chapter. :( But, at least this one's longer than the others.


	6. Two Kaitous at War

Chapter Six- Two Kaitous at War

summary- I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob sob sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!!

ratings- T (for implied stuff because of Chiaki) and language (though I did not necessarily put or plan to put these in every chapter- the language and suggestive stuff, I mean). I might change it later if I have to up to M, but I'm not planning on it at all, so it's safe (well, safe for a rated T fanfic anyway. you all know what I mean). :)

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. They have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

--

previously in chapter five...

_"Did you let me win?" he asked, serious, holding up his black pawn for her to see. "Don't let me win!"_

_His eyes were covered in shadow for a minute by his bangs as his grip on her wrist tightened and he pulled her closer._

_"I don't want you to let me win! If you keep doing that, soon you'll have none left. I'm going to be your rival as long as you do this, and I'm going to get better, I swear, and then it'll just get harder for you. So..."_

_Then he looked directly into her eyes, determined, his face shone in the light of the moon._

_"I want you... to stop being a kaitou!" and then he pulled her closer and kissed her._

_Jeanne felt her eyes grow wide with shock._

_-_

_"Ow!"_

_He reeled back, holding his forehead, which probably had a bump on it._

_"That smarts!"_

_"Ow..." another, higher, voice whined nearby ._

_Access froze. Wait... he recognized that voice..._

_Hoping he was wrong, he raised his head to look, his eyes still teary from the headbutt- only to come face to face with another, all too familiar, pair of eyes._

_"Access?!" the owner of the eyes exclaimed._

_"F-Finn!"_

and now... on with the story!!

Chiaki glanced over at Maron for what felt like the thousandth time and was once again disappointed. In fact, he was starting to get irritated. All throughout the day, she had shown no signs of being embarrassed, or even slightly off-kilter. In fact, she acted like she hadn't been kissed at all! He felt... disappointed. What, had she not considered him worth remembering?

He grumbled to himself, but when she glanced his way, he immediately broke out into his good-boy smile. She gave him a look and turned back to her paper, and his smile immediately dropped back off his face. How could she not be fazed? True, it wasn't like he did _that_ to girls often, but it couldn't have been that bad! And if anything, what should it matter? He was sure she hadn't done _that_ to many boys either! Or... did she?

He felt the frown grow on his face with each thought. How could this be possible? The mission wasn't supposed to be this hard!

.Maron POV.

Something was up with that boy. He kept looking over at her, and she was sure that he was frowning. Yet whenever she looked over at him, he smiled at her. He was definitely hiding something.

.Miyako POV.

She glanced at her best friend and the boy she loved with mixed emotions. Something was up with them. They were both acting strange.

She nibbled at the end of her pencil, her cop instinct bubbling, interest roused. But... what was it?

-

.Jeanne POV.

She leapt from the roof to the ground, soundless as always. With a smile, she leapt up to the second floor, effortlessly. As always. She loved the strength that came with being kaitou Jeanne. The effortlessness of everything that she could do. It made everything too easy. But it was fun. She never wanted to give it up.

As she stood on the ledge, unwilling to actually go inside until the time that her card had said, the memory of Sinbad flashed through her head, and Jeanne felt a frown edge her lips. Stop being a kaitou indeed. She would stop when the demons did, and not a minute before!

She glanced at the clock tower, which could just barely be seen from where she now stood. The only reason that she was already even at the building was because she had a report due tomorrow that she hadn't finished, and being at the window would save her a few precious minutes to spare to work on it before falling asleep.

She looked at the tower again. Three more minutes to go.

Soon, the game would start once more.

.Sinbad POV.

He was perched on the roof of a nearby building, watching the grounds of the home that he planned to "steal" from, waiting for the clock tower to chime and signal Jeanne's arrival.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget about Maron's indifference to what happened last night. It was true that she didn't know he was Sinbad, but still, it irked him that she didn't blush even a _little_ bit when she had looked at him earlier.

He stood up, glancing at the clock again as it struck one minute closer to the time.

Well, maybe she'd have a different reaction to seeing _Sinbad_.

The clock tower chimed ten o'clock. Sinbad pulled on the gloves that he had held in his hands, prepared for work.

_This time, Jeanne, _he vowed, _I'm definitely going to ruffle you feathers._

As the last chime sounded, he jumped off the roof and to the ground, breaking into a run the minute his feet hit grass. Tonight's heist would be his again, his second victory, and then she would _have_ to acknowledge him.

.Miyako POV.

"Is everyone in position?" she asked into her radio.

"Roger. Loud and clear." came the voice at the other end.

Miyako grinned. _Tonight, Jeanne, will be the last heist you ever pull!_

Feeling giddy at the thought, Miyako leaned against the wall, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. That was, until she heard the "Oops." crackle over the radio, followed by a whoosh and a thud and a surprised male scream.

"What happened?!" she asked, radioing them back.

"Uh... Nothing. John just got caught in the net." the voice over the radio replied.

"He tripped the wire? But he set it up!"

"Well, it was kind of dark, and he just-"

Miyako sighed, cutting him off.

"Fine. Hold your horses. I'm coming." she mumbled, already on her way.

Some days, she really did wonder about the competence of her father's police force.

.Jeanne POV.

The clock tower chimed ten. Grinning, Jeanne slid open the window, soundlessly stepping inside.

_Tonight, Sinbad, I wouldn't go so easy on you!_

.Miyako POV.

She had just finished helping the officer John out of the net (which had had a hidden release button and was coated with honey on the inside to trap Jeanne) when she heard the chiming of the clock tower. Ten o'clock.

"Darn it."

She turned and began to run back to her position before Jeanne could arrive, only to hear a yelp from behind her. Dreading what she was going to see, she turned back, only to find that somehow, officer John had gotten the net tangled around two other officers while trying to move it out of the way.

An internal debate went on inside her head, and she struggled with the idea of just leaving the fools to get themselves out, hesitating as she was about to run back to her position. Finally, though, she sighed and made her way back to the three officers.

Some days, it didn't seem worth doing what she was doing. Miyako was almost sure that she'd be better off without the extra hands. And if it wasn't for the fact that she needed the help and wanted to feel like part of the police, that would be just what she'd do.

.Sinbad POV.

He opened the door to the room where the painting was supposed to be and flipped on the light switch near the door. Surprisingly, he hadn't seen nor heard Miyako or her police taskforce tonight, which was strange, but definitely made his job easier.

Glancing around the room, he frowned, before his eyes lit on a frame on the wall.

An _empty_ frame.

"Well well well. Look who finally decided to show up." a voice to his left said.

He spun at the sound of the voice. It was Jeanne, tossing and catching a white pawn in her white-gloved hand. And he no longer had to wonder where the painting had gone.

"You took your time."

He knew he should speak, but all he could do was stand there, stunned. How had she gotten in so fast and captured the demon?

Jeanne smiled at him, and Sinbad felt his heart skip a beat.

"Well, you didn't want me to _let _you win." she said, before leaping backwards to the window, which she unlocked with a flick of her finger. Just as she was about to go out it, he managed to stop her.

"Wait." he said, not bothering to take a step towards her. He knew he wouldn't be able to reach her in time, and, at the moment, he wanted a straight answer more than he wanted to catch up to her.

"Don't you have something you want to say to me?" he asked, hoping that, seeing him, she would remember about the... what he did to her.

Jeanne looked at him before looking at the ceiling, thinking, one hand on the window side and the other braced on the bottom, where her weight leaned.

"Not really... Oh, actually, one thing..." she began, still staring at the ceiling, and he felt himself anticipating her reply.

"The police were busy when I first got here, but they should be done by now."

She looked at him and grinned, just as the sounds of footsteps reached his ears.

"Sadly, I can't stick around for it. Have fun." she said, before leaping fully out the window, just as the door to the room opened, and Miyako and the others barged in.

"Wait, Jeanne!" he called after her, but she was already gone, the memory of her smirk flashing through his mind.

"No fair! Don't leave me to deal with them!"

"_Deal_ with who?" Miyako said from right behind him. Sinbad turned to her, and grinned.

"Oh, nobody." he said, before dropping a smoke bomb and disappearing from sight.

.Jeanne POV.

She landed on her balcony, confident that Sinbad hadn't followed her this time. Smiling, she pulled off her hair ribbon, changing her back to Maron.

"Maron! Welcome home!" Finn greeted her, flying from the kitchen. "How did it go?"

She held up the chess piece, and the angel smiled even more.

"Good job, Maron!" she said, and Maron set the piece on the nearby table for her before heading towards the kitchen herself for a glass of milk.

She returned to find the angel gone, and, assuming that Finn had gone to put away the pawn as it had disappeared from the table, she walked over to the still open glass doors of her balcony, staring up at the moon.

Then, just as she was about to tip the glass to her lips, a flash of something to the side caught her eye, followed by a light sound on her neighbor's balcony.

Curious, Maron leaned slightly out the doors, making sure that she was mostly hidden by the curtains hanging at her sides.

At the sight of Sinbad, she froze and had to resist the urge not to duck back inside, worried that the sudden movement might catch his attention.

Had she underestimated him? Had he managed to follow her after all and track her down to her apartment building?

Cautious, Maron held her breath, willing him to not turn her way. He seemed to be speaking to somebody, but even in the silence of the night, his voice was too low to hear over the slight breeze and the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

She watched as his hand came up to his head, and, as she stared, he pulled off his bandana, changing him into...

Chiaki.

-

end chapter six.

end chapter notations: I apologize that this chapter is so short (in terms of events), but it was either that or have it really long, running into the next chapter, and I wanted to get this one out soon so that readers wouldn't have to wait. I hope you enjoyed the unveiling. :) Want to guess at what happens next?


	7. One More Time

Chapter Seven- One More Time

summary- I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob sob sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!

ratings- T (just in case)

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. And they have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

last note: to change character perspective, I had to put their names, because this site's not letting me just put the dash on its own. Sorry for any inconvience it may cause.

previously in chapter six...

_Then, just as she was about to tip the glass to her lips, a flash of something to the side caught her eye, followed by a light sound on her neighbor's balcony._

_Curious, Maron leaned slightly out the doors, making sure that she was mostly hidden by the curtains hanging at her sides._

_At the sight of Sinbad, she froze and had to resist the urge not to duck back inside, worried that the sudden movement might catch his attention._

_Had she underestimated him? Had he managed to follow her after all and track her down to her apartment building?_

_Cautious, Maron held her breath, willing him to not turn her way. He seemed to be speaking to somebody, but even in the silence of the night, his voice was too low to hear over the slight breeze and the sound of her heart beating in her ears._

_She watched as his hand came up to his head, and, as she stared, he pulled off his bandanna, changing him into..._

_Chiaki._

and now... on with the story!

Finn flew back into the living room, still debating with herself whether or not she should tell Maron about running into Access. Coming across the dark angel wasn't a good sign. And after he had bumped into her, he didn't stick around to explain, but instead had flown away as fast as his wings could carry him. He was up to something. Finn was sure of it.

She stopped at the sight of her partner leaning out the balcony door.

"Maron?"

The girl turned towards her, a strange look on her face. She looked... confused?

"Are you okay?" the angel asked.

"Yeah, Finn, I'm... fine." And as she watched, the girl visible pulled her thoughts back from wherever they had been and focused on her. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Finn hesitated, before deciding that Maron already had enough to worry about without knowing about Access (besides, she should probably find out why he was even here in the first place first before trying to go into the details of who he was), and forced a fake cheery smile to her face.

"I want milk and cookies!"

"Okay." Maron said, accepting the response with a smile at her before walking away to the kitchen to get them, her confused look disappearing as if it had never been there.

Finn watched her retreating back until she disappeared into the other room, before letting her smile turn to a frown and turning her head to stare out of the window. Access was somewhere out there. The question was, why?

-Maron; kitchen-

Maron sighed, putting her hands flat down on the kitchen table so that she could lean her weight on it, her head bowed. She didn't want to hide anything from Finn, but the surprise had been too sudden for her to be more than just that- surprised.

Taking a deep breath, she played the event over in her head.

Chiaki was Sinbad.

Sinbad was Chiaki.

Chiaki was...

They had appeared at about the same time. It made sense.

Sinbad was...

Maron frowned.

But why was he doing it? How did he get the ability to transform? And why did he want her to think of him as a rival? There were too many unanswered questions, and she couldn't find any of them out without giving away the fact that she knew about him- a surprise that she may need to save for later.

She hadn't planned to get involved with him in any way because of her already busy life... but it looked like she was going to have to.

Deciding to sleep on it later, Maron stood up straight, running her hands once through her hair and expelling a breath before going to the fridge for Finn's milk. She still had some homework to do before going to bed. And she had the feeling that she'd have more trouble than usual concentrating on it.

-Chiaki; morning, outside apartment building-

Chiaki felt like an idiot.

He rubbed his hand over his face and yawned, leaning against the building wall outside the apartment complex while he waited for Miyako and Maron to show up. Yesterday had basically been a waste. He had no idea how Jeanne had gotten to the painting so quickly, even given her God-given abilities and her experience with that sort of thing. He was blessed too, and _he_ couldn't move that smoothly. Maybe she had some kind of trick up her sleeve? It didn't seem fair.

A cheerful voice cut through his musings

"Good morning, Chiaki-kun!"

and Chiaki immediately pasted on a friendly smile to greet the intruder.

"Good morning, Miyako-chan. You look as cute as always today."

Miyako giggled predictably, blushing as she hit his arm playfully.

"Oh, you."

"Good morning, Miyako." a girls' voice from behind Miyako spoke up. The girl turned around to face the voice, another, not-so-girlish-but-still-happy smile on her face.

"Morning, Maron!"

"Good morning, Maron." Chiaki greeted, another smile pasted on his face. She had never corrected him on the lack of honorifics, so he figured it was okay to keep using it. Plus, maybe it meant that she liked him a bit. It would certainly make his job a lot easier.

He thought back to Jeanne.

Although if she did like him, she had an odd way of showing it.

Maron looked up at him, their eyes meeting briefly, before her gaze slid away so she could look at Miyako. The politely murmured "hello" that passed through her lips barely reached his ears as she focused all her attention on her friend. He would have been offended if his mind wasn't already preoccupied, and if he wasn't too tired to put in the effort of holding a real conversation. How did she look so awake so early in the morning? She stayed up just as late as he did.

Chiaki stifled another yawn while Miyako and Maron's attention was focused elsewhere. Okay, so maybe she didn't like him. He could tell that chasing after Jeanne was going to stretch him thin. It was going to make putting effort into getting Maron to like him that much harder, too. But he needed to do both to throw her off balance. He had a goal to accomplish.

-Maron; school-

Maron watched Chiaki out of the corner of her eye stifle another yawn. He must be pretty tired. She mentally smirked. Good thing he didn't have her endurance. Of course, she had been at this longer than he had, so she had more experience. It'd take him a while to adjust to the night life. If she wanted to keep him off balance, she had to strike before he figured out the secret of the kaitou transformation.

-Kaitou Sinbad; stand-by-

Sinbad groaned, braced against the tree he was in with his hand, his other hand covering his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on- too little sleep in too long of a time. Why did Jeanne have to pick tonight to pull of a heist? Wasn't last night's job enough for a while?

The clock tower chimed 11:00pm. Access flew by his vision.

"Hey, are you going to be okay?" he asked his partner, the worry on the dark angel's face apparent.

"Yeah... I'm fine."

He took a deep breath and stood up straight.

"I'm ready, Jeanne. It'll take more than a little sleep deprivation to make me give up on my mission." He said with determination. There was no way that he was going to let her beat him.

-Miyako; stand-by-

Miyako checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time. It was unusual for Jeanne to attempt a heist so soon after her last one. Perhaps the kaitou was beginning to feel overconfident?

Miyako smirked.

Well, if that was the case, then she would just have to bring the female thief down a peg or two. Tonight, she would be in for a special surprise.

Tonight, Jeanne, you will be mine!

-Kaitou Jeanne; stand-by-

11:10pm

Five more minutes left.

Jeanne tugged on her gloves once to make sure they were snug. She had to give Sinbad, no, _Chiaki_ a run for his money tonight. If she wanted him off her back and out of commission for a while, she had to make sure he tired out tonight. Too tired to chase her the next time she sent the police and Miyako a notice. Too tired to try a stunt like kissing her again.

Rubbing her hand subconsciously over her lips, her eyes scouted the window she planned to enter.

It wasn't like the kiss was going to stop her from "stealing". She wasn't sure what he had been hoping to accomplish with it, but if the goal had been to make her fall for him, it had failed. He may have touched her lips with his, but _she_ would be the one to decide when she was kissed. Not him. Not anybody. She was in control of her own fate.

The guard patrolling the room passed by the window again. Jeanne checked the clock tower.

11:15pm exactly. Showtime.

"Finally." she said with a smile, steadying her footing on her tree perch and preparing to leap.

She crouched, waiting for the guard to pass by again. When the uniform entered her sight, she jumped off the branch and into the open.

"Game start!"

-Kaitou Sinbad; breaking in-

The click of a latch sounded loud in the empty room, but Sinbad knew that no one was in it. He had Access scout beforehand. This place had been too far from Jeanne's target for Miyako to care about. She was a very direct girl, and didn't seem to like spreading her resources thin. All her efforts were concentrated on capturing Jeanne on her way to the antique, so that's where she'd be waiting.

Tonight's target was a music box. The owner was a rich older woman. Even so, the job was going to be tough.

Sinbad blinked his eyes a few times to adjust to the darkness and to keep himself from yawning. He needed to finish quick tonight and get to bed earlier than yesterday so he could stay awake in class tomorrow. He had noticed that Maron had been as awake as always, so she must be more used to this than he was. He couldn't let his body betray him and give his identity away. Which meant that he had to get used to this routine soon. Otherwise, Jeanne wouldn't take him seriously when the time came for him to tell her the truth. If there was one thing that he had learned about Maron, it was that she was serious about her work, whether is was at school or sealing demons. If he was anything less than dedicated, he didn't think that she'd ever open up to him. After all, her closest friend was Miyako, who was dedicated more than anything to capturing Jeanne. Ironic how it was her best friend that she was really after. But he'd contemplate that situation some other time, when he wasn't focused on not getting caught.

Sinbad cautiously opened the door leading to the hallway, checking for guards. He was right. Not a soul in sight. Miyako was predictable, but it made his job that much easier, so he couldn't complain.

He ran down the hall, careful to listen for voices, as he made his way down to the room where the music box was held. The plan was to follow behind Jeanne, and when she was distracted by Miyako and the police, make a run for the target. Sneaky, he knew, but at the moment, he didn't have the energy required to come up with a better plan. And he certainly couldn't confront Jeanne face-to-face in this state.

-Kaitou Sinbad; hiding-

He watched Jeanne dodge the guards effortlessly, and he couldn't help but admire her grace and skill. No matter how often he saw this, he didn't think that he'd ever be less amazed.

Then, just as he saw an opening to run, Jeanne twisted and flashed a smile his way. Stunned, Sinbad watched her as she leapt onto a windowsill out of reach and point at him.

"Hey, isn't that Sinbad?" she said, her voice projecting.

He watched in incredulity as the guards all looked at him and, deciding he was an easier target, began to chase after him. Sinbad turned around and ran for the nearest exit.

"Hey! Get back here you guys! Jeanne is still in this room!" he heard Maron call, chasing after them, no doubt, to yell at them. But they kept running his way.

Smart, he thought, as he ran in the opposite direction from the room and his target. Jeanne knew just the way to throw everyone off her tracks and make it impossible for him to reach his goal. And she even got Miyako to leave. He guessed that there were some benefits to knowing the person in charge of your capture. Even he wouldn't have guessed that Miyako would chase after the guards that were chasing him.

The footsteps behind him picked up the pace, and Sinbad decided that it was time to make his exit before he got caught. He really didn't have the energy to elude the police tonight. And Jeanne, judging by the smile on her face, had known that the minute she laid eyes on him.

-Kaitou Jeanne; stealing-

She smirked, pleased that her plan had worked. From her position, it had been easy to see the whole room, and Sinbad didn't hide as well as he thought he did. At least, not to her eyes.

The move had gotten both the police and Miyako off her back, and was guaranteed to tire Sinbad out by morning. It was a good thing that he had tried to hide, otherwise it may not have gone so smoothly.

Shaking her head in amusement, Jeanne tossed her pin at the music box from her position on the window sill. No use coming down until the demon was sealed, since she didn't know how long it'd take Sinbad to escape and Miyako and the others to return.

The pin hit the music box, directly on its center, and Jeanne smiled her victory as the box disappeared and a chess piece took its place.

Then, just as she shifted her footing to jump down and retrieve the piece, out of the corner of her vision, Jeanne saw something shift.

Surprised that someone would be back so soon, and concerned that she hadn't heard their footsteps, the kaitou turned back to stare down at the room, only to see something unexpected-

the chess piece had changed back into a music box.

Frowning, she leapt down from her perch, intent on studying the phenomenon. Her gloved hand swept over the cover, eyes studying the piece carefully. It was a fake. A good fake, to be sure, but a fake all the same. She didn't feel any evil emanating from the box. That meant that the real music box, her real target, had to be somewhere else.

Suddenly, a spotlight fell on her, temporarily blinding her, and Jeanne quickly raised her arm to hide her face.

"I've got you this time, Kaitou Jeanne!" she heard Miyako's voice yell triumphantly. "There's no place for you to escape!"

-end chapter seven.

end chapter notations: I'm sorry it took so long to update this story. Honestly, I never thought it would take _this_ long. How did you like my chapter? Be honest. It's been quite a while since I've added to this story. And I think I'm going to start picking up the pace a bit, soon. Okay, well read and review! And hopefully, see you all again soon (I'll try to update a lot faster this time). Also, sorry if this chapter's a bit long. I didn't want you guys to feel like I made you wait all that time and then barely have anything to show for it. :P


	8. Chasing Odds

Chapter Eight– Chasing Odds

summary- I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob sob sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!

ratings- T (just in case)

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. And they have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

last note: to change character perspective, I had to put their names, because this site's not letting me just put the dash on its own. Sorry for any inconvenience it may cause.

previously in chapter seven...

_Frowning, she leapt down from her perch, intent on studying the phenomenon. Her gloved hand swept over the cover, eyes studying the piece carefully. It was a fake. A good fake, to be sure, but a fake all the same. She didn't feel any evil emanating from the box. That meant that the real music box, her real target, had to be somewhere else. _

_Suddenly, a spotlight fell on her, temporarily blinding her, and Jeanne quickly raised her arm to hide her face. _

_"I've got you this time, Kaitou Jeanne!" she heard Miyako's voice yell triumphantly. "There's no place for you to escape!"_

and now... on with the story!

"This time, you won't be able to steal anything. We've got you on the spot." Miyako continued, walking closer to the kaitou confidently. "Now let's see who you really are behind that mask of yours."

Suddenly, Jeanne smiled, making Miyako's steps falter in confusion.

"Caught me? Why would I try to steal a fake?" the kaitou replied, before leaping up to the windowsill that she had previously occupied. Deftly, she flipped open the lock with one hand, while still keeping her other arm over her face to hide it from view.

"Wait, Jeanne! What do you mean it's a fake?" Miyako called after her and, right before she stepped out the window, Jeanne looked back.

"Why don't you take a look for yourself?"

And with that, the mysterious kaitou disappeared into the night.

-Kaitou Jeanne; returning home-

She leapt on the rooftops back to her home, knowing that, at least this night, she wouldn't be followed by Sinbad. She chuckled at the memory. He'd probably be too tired tomorrow to hold his head up in class. She was sure that the police gave him a run for his money, at least for a bit. Even if he was a kaitou like her. After all, they had Miyako to encourage them.

Then the smile left her face as Jeanne turned her mind to more serious matters. She had never encountered a fake target before. And Finn had never got her information wrong in the past. Was it just a fluke? But it wasn't that easy to fool one of God's angels, even if said angel was not yet full-fledged.

What was going on here?

-Miyako; school-

Miyako sat in her seat in class the next day, fuming. How had she missed the fact that the music box had been a fake? And she wanted to be a police officer? What kind of officer couldn't tell a fake target from a real one? Of course, she hadn't trusted Jeanne right away, but had checked the box for herself when the kaitou had left, only to find that the thief had been telling the truth. She had wondered if the kaitou had just switched it to confuse her, but why do that now when she never had before? It was out of her character to do something like that. And on top of that, she had told Miyako that it was a fake. She wouldn't of said anything about it if she put it there in the first place, right?

Although there was a bigger question that needed to be answered here-

If Jeanne had known that the music box was a fake, and she hadn't planted it there, then why did she try to steal it? Or…

Had she not known that it was a fake until she had seen it up close? After all, she hadn't had a chance to get near the box until those idiot guards went chasing after Sinbad.

But still, Jeanne had always chosen valuable targets. She had never made a mistake. This had to be a first for both of them. And that thought didn't make Miyako any happier.

-Chiaki; school-

Neither of the girls looked very happy. Well, at least, to the trained eye, you could tell Maron was in a bad mood. Miyako, on the other hand, was as easy to read as a book.

Chiaki groaned inwardly as he glanced at the clock and realized that a mere two minutes had passed since he had last looked at it. Those two minutes had felt like at least twenty. He was really starting to feel the effect of loosing sleep every night.

Trying to stay awake, he glanced to his side, back at Maron. She_ looked_ like her normal cheerful self, but, every once in a while she'd frown slightly, as if annoyed (Miyako's mood was easier to see- she was openly fuming). He couldn't understand why, though. She sealed the demon, didn't she? And on top of that, she'd made him look like a fool. He could understand why Miyako didn't look happy- Jeanne made her look like a fool again too. But still, that was no reason for Maron to not be happy. He hadn't been there for the sealing, having been too busy running from the police that Jeanne had sent on his trail, but she was too adept to have _not_ been able to 'steal' the target, especially with just Miyako and the police protecting it. So why...?

Maron glanced his way, and immediately, the frown vanished, as if she didn't want others to notice that she was annoyed. Although, for some reason, he felt that she still wasn't happy to see him. Even though they sat next to each other in class. Even though they were neighbors.

Even though he was trying to get her to like him and went out of his way to talk to her.

Chiaki sighed inwardly as she turned her attention back to the board and her notes. No matter how hard he tried, it felt like he wasn't getting any closer to Maron at all.

As he glanced over at the girl again and saw the slight frown return, Chiaki decided that maybe it was time that he switched tactics.

-Maron; in apartment building-

He was waiting for her outside her apartment door. While it was true that they were neighbors, that still did not excuse the fact that he was standing _right in front of her door_, blocking her entrance inside_._ What did he want now?

She stood there, staring at him, and he stared right back, not saying a word. He obviously wasn't going to let her through until she talked to him.

Maron sighed.

"What do you want, Chiaki?"

He smiled at her, looking a lot more alert than he had in class. He either slept enough during school to be coherent (he had looked like he was nodding off on occasion), or he had a fast recovery time. She was kind of hoping for the latter, just so that he'd pose more of a challenge for her, before she mentally slapped herself. What was she saying? She didn't need him increasing her work load any more than his appearance into her life already had.

Chiaki walked towards her, and Maron took the opportunity to walk closer to her front door. But before she could open it with her key, he put his hand on the frame, leaning over her with his taller stature to block her in. Frowning, Maron turned to face him. He was really close, but despite the proximity, she was more annoyed than giddy. She wasn't a little girl, and although he was good looking, he had no right to do this to her. Especially out in the open like this. They were in the apartment building, but still, anyone could see them.

"Were you going to leave without giving me the chance to answer your question?" he asked her, a cocky smile on his face despite the fact that she was obviously rebuking him already.

"Yes, if you don't say it fast. I have work to do."

She could tell that he was a bit put off by her reply, but he continued despite it.

"I saw you looking at me in class. You seemed upset."

"Of course I was. You were falling asleep in the seat next to me. It was distracting."

He only looked a bit embarrassed by that.

"I had a busy night." he replied, recovering quickly. "But tell you what? How about tomorrow, we go somewhere nice? Just the two of us? I always thought you were cute."

He put his finger under her chin.

"I promise to stay awake the whole time. Besides, you're a lot more interesting than class. So what do you say? Is it a date?"

Maron swatted his hand away. He was being way too forward all of a sudden. Was he trying to shake her up? Fluster her? Distract Maron so that he could distract Jeanne?

"A date? I don't even know you that well." She replied, and with that said, she turned and unlocked her door, closing it before he had the chance to add anything more to the conversation.

-Chiaki; in apartment building-

Chiaki looked at the closed door with an expression of frustration evident on his face.

"Of course I don't know you. You never let me get close."

Of course, he knew the basics about Maron- her age, birthday, and other small pieces of information from his source. But she was right- they hadn't spent that much time together outside of sitting next to each other in class, and he didn't know much personal information about her. He knew about her being Jeanne, but that didn't really count since she didn't know that he knew about that. And he hadn't told her very much information about himself either. He guessed he could see why she didn't really trust him.

Then, slowly, a smile split his face.

"Well, you may not know me now, but I'll make sure that you know me real soon. No more hiding, Maron. I don't give up that easily."

He turned away from her doorway to walk to his apartment.

"And I'm especially not going to give up on you."

-Maron; school, two days later-

Maron scowled to herself two days later as she sat in her seat during break. He sure was persistent. Finn hadn't found any new demon-possessed items, and all the better considering that she still hadn't figured out how the last target that she had gone after had been a fake. Finn couldn't have been fooled by it, which meant that it had been switched for the real music box sometime before she had gotten to it that night. So all that she had done that night to get Sinbad to get chased by the police did nothing more than make him expend more energy. Not that he was a threat anyway, but it hadn't even been necessary, except as a method to tire him out. Which just brought her back to her original problem.

Chiaki sure was persistent. He hadn't left her alone once these past two days. You would think after loosing all that sleep, he'd spend at least _some_ time catching up on his z's. But no, he spent all his free time hounding her instead. Not only was he persistent, he was idiotic too.

A shadow appeared, blocking her light and darkening the color of her desk. Not having to guess twice who it was, Maron looked up, into the smiling face of one idiotic, persistent guy.

Chiaki.

Again.

She pasted a smile on her face and greeted him.

"Hello, Chiaki. What can I do for you?" 

_Again._

"Nothing. I just wanted to see you." His smile grew bigger. The cad. The handsome cad.

"You sit next to me in class every day."

"I know. I guess I just can't get enough of you."

If she hadn't known about Sinbad already and wasn't so focused on her job she might've blushed.

"I'm not sure I can give you any more of me."

"That's what you say now." he winked at her. Maron could practically_ feel_ Miyako's eyes burning into her back. She frowned at Chiaki.

"If you want to flirt, go do it with Miyako. I'm not in the mood."

Although it was rude, it was true. And someone like Chiaki needed to be spoken to crudely if he was ever to get the message. She was too busy thinking about how the music box could have been switched to-

a sudden, ominous thought entered her mind as Maron replayed the scene from that night over in her head.

Surely Sinbad, who was also a kaitou like her, had to be blessed, no matter how incompetent he was.

But if he was blessed, he _shouldn't_ be so incompetent, should he?

Which would mean that he was hiding his true abilities behind a facade of clumsiness.

That night, he had only watched her from the sidelines. Had he really been waiting for an opening to "steal" the music box, or...

had he already "stolen" it and was testing her?

Maron looked up at Chiaki once more, who hadn't moved from his spot beside her desk- something that would annoy her even more if she hadn't just come to the conclusion that she had.

"On second thought, Chiaki." she found herself saying, giving him what she hoped was a smile. "It's fine. Don't mind me- I've just had a busy week. Sit down."

The look on his face was one of triumph and disbelief- something that Maron herself wouldn't have been able to believe could share the same face at the same time if she hadn't seen it herself.

"Sure." he said, sliding into his own seat with recovered grace.

"So, tell me about yourself, Chiaki." she began, leaning on her desk, hands folded under her chin as she gave him her full attention. "Where did you used to live?"

-Chiaki; school, sitting (and having a conversation with!) Maron-

He could barely believe his ears. She had been ignoring him these past few days (not that she hadn't basically ignored him since she first met him), and now she was finally showing an interest in him! It was too good to be true.

In fact, he pondered as he talked to the disguised kaitou, it _did_ seem to be too good to be true. Maron wasn't stupid, but he doubted that even she could guess his identity unless she saw it with her own eyes. If it wasn't for that fact, he'd suspect that she was on to him.

Since that couldn't be the reason, he'd just enjoy the attention she gave him and chalk it up to good luck. After all, he knew she wouldn't be able to resist him indefinitely.

-Kaitou Jeanne; two nights later-

She tugged her gloves once more for good measure as the clock tower rang 10 o'clock. Her notice for this night had said 11:15 pm, but she wasn't there early to "steal" the artifact without a fight. In fact, that was the very reason why she was there. Tonight, she would check for herself whether Sinbad would switch the target- as proof to herself that he was testing her.

For the past two days, she had chatted with Chiaki in hopes that she would be able to figure out what his real objectives were in being a kaitou. So far, he had let nothing slip, but she'd get him eventually. Nothing escaped her. Not for long. Whether it was an object or a person made no difference. She would find out the truth.

As the big hand of the clock tower struck 10:05 pm, Jeanne slipped in through one of the lower windows of the building that housed her target. She knew that Miyako often expected her to come from someplace high, and since she was trying to keep a low profile, it would just be stupid to do what was expected of her. Of course, aerial confrontations often had an advantage for her since she could see everyone at once, but it also made her more noticeable. Most people wouldn't look up, and if the police and Miyako hadn't been there, she'd have no problem with traveling high. But since she didn't have that luxury this time, she'd just have to change it up a bit.

The lock was easy to pick, and the frame was fairly silent as it was pushed open. The kaitou grinned, already feeling the adrenaline rush that she always got whenever she broke and entered, despite the fact that she was doing it for good. As she walked through the building, she slipped by the officers setting up whatever trap Miyako had come up with this time. She was curious, but stifled her craving to look since she had a more important job to do first. Besides, the goal here wasn't to be seen, and getting a closer look would risk that. She was good, but it was an unnecessary risk, as well as unsportsmanlike. And despite the fact that Miyako didn't know that she was Jeanne, she still wouldn't be able to justify to herself doing something like that to her best friend. Miyako got so little enjoyment out of life. Even if she couldn't let her catch "Kaitou Jeanne", she could still let her friend give chase.

Before long, she had reached her goal- the room of the possessed artifact. She recognized it right away as being her target because of the dark aura it was emitting. Glancing around the room, she noticed that the ceiling was graced by a crystal chandelier. While she could never understand the rich, she was grateful. It would be the perfect hiding spot. She stepped a few more steps forward to position herself correctly when she heard a sound behind her- a footstep. Just one, but it made her heart race in surprise.

Spinning on her heels, she turned towards the sound, only to come face to face with...

Miyako.

The girl stared at her with a look of amusement. But as she walked into a stray patch of moonlight as she neared closer, Jeanne noticed that she was trying to mask a deeper emotion- disbelief, and... disappointment.

"Well, I have to say, Jeanne, I never thought you'd stoop so low. You didn't even wait until the time you specified to steal the vase."

Jeanne glanced at said vase, which she had stepped closer to in order to get in a better position to jump onto the chandelier. She knew what Miyako was thinking, but had no way to correct the mistake. Miyako thought that she had cheated in their game of cat and mouse. She was angry and upset, and...

A sudden surge of energy in the room had the kaitou's eyes shifting back towards the vase. Its energy had gone up tremendously, almost like when...

She glanced back at Miyako as understanding and realization dawned, but it was too late. The energy surged up from the vase and aimed itself directly at her friend. Miyako couldn't see it, of course, but she still tried to shout out to her.

"Watch-"

"I don't know why I believed you." said, Miyako cut her off, her voice breaking a bit at the end of her sentence. "A thief is always a thief. Just..."

Jeanne watched helplessly as the dark aura surged towards Miyako...

"a thief!"

and hit her, possessing her best friend.

end chapter eight.

end chapter notations: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I got at least one review about that, and I know I've fallen behind. I'm horrible at remembering to do these things. Hopefully, at least you enjoyed this update. After I post the rest of the updates for my other stories, I'll try to update this one again soon.


	9. A Pair of Thieves

Chapter Nine– A Pair of Thieves

summary- I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob sob sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!

ratings- T (just in case)

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. And they have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

last note: to change character perspective, I had to put their names, because this site's not letting me just put the dash on its own. Sorry for any inconvenience it may cause.

-9-

previously in chapter eight...

_She glanced back at Miyako as understanding and realization dawned, but it was too late. The energy surged up from the vase and aimed itself directly at her friend. Miyako couldn't see it, of course, but she still tried to shout out to her._

_"Watch-"_

_"I don't know why I believed you." said, Miyako cut her off, her voice breaking a bit at the end of her sentence. "A thief is always a thief. Just..."_

_Jeanne watched helplessly as the dark aura surged towards Miyako..._

_"a thief!" _

_and hit her, possessing her best frien_d.

and now... on with the story!

"I'm so disillusioned by you, Jeanne." Miyako said, her anger amplified by the demon possessing her. "To think I thought you could actually keep your word."

"Now, I would tell you that you had nothing to worry about, but I don't think you'd listen to me." the kaitou replied, keeping all her attention on her best friend. She took a quick glance at the girl's aura, which was now colored the same dark as the demon's.

"Especially now."

"Why would I believe anything that you say now? You liar!"

The clock tower outside struck 11:15 pm. Ironic how, even when you weren't having fun, time seemed to fly.

"I'll never believe anything you say again!"

And with that, Miyako charged at her. Surprised by her friends aggression, Jeanne almost didn't recover in time to evade her grab. She leapt back and made sure to keep her front facing the girl.

A sound to her side made her dread what could be next. She risked a glance towards it, and realized that it was a window that had been opened. And the person who was entering it...

_Sinbad_.

-Sinbad; 11:16 pm-

As he entered the window, he heard something moving in the room. Turning his head to face the sound, his eyes locked with Jeanne's, and the look of shock, disbelief, and... after a split second, annoyance on her face. She glanced away from him, and for the first time he noticed Miyako standing near her.

He hesitated, feeling like something was off, but couldn't put his finger on what. He squinted a bit, before realizing what it was- a dark aura was surrounding Miyako, as if she was possessed by a demon.

Miyako lunged for Jeanne, and in an amazing show of agility, the kaitou evaded her and leapt, Sinbad noticed almost too late to register, _straight for him_.

Or more precisely, straight for the window.

The young kaitou slipped past him with ease and out into the night air, leaving Miyako, and him, behind.

"That's it! Just run away like you always do!" the girl shouted after the kaitou, her voice angrier than he had ever heard it before. "You thief!"

Sinbad took one last look at the vase that had been his target, and Miyako who seemed to be acting odd, before retreating to follow Jeanne. Somehow, he knew that if he caught up to her, he'd find out what was going on.

-Jeanne; rooftop-

He caught up to her. She knew that he would. Although she knew he wanted to beat her, he'd be more curious about what she had been doing back at the house than try to get the vase when she was no longer there. Besides, it's not like he could seal the demon as it was now anyway.

Of course, she had made it easy for him, having stopped at a particularly high rooftop in clear moonlight. It had a chimney that gave a fair amount of shadow in case she needed to hide from view, but for the most part, it was open. There was no way he wouldn't find her. Although he was an idiot thief, he was a smart guy. One had to be to hide a secret like theirs.

"Well, that was unusual." Sinbad said as he landed on the rooftop a few feet away from her. "Are you going to tell me what that was all about? The vase didn't have any dark aura, but Miy- uh, that girl sure did have a pretty unusual one."

She noticed the almost slip up, but decided to let it go for now.

"So you noticed."

He sent her a curious look, as if unsure if she was testing him.

"Yeah, I noticed." he replied.

Jeanne held back a sigh of emotional exhaustion. Still, she couldn't help looking away when she spoke. Although she knew she wouldn't have been able to stop the possession it if she had tried, she still felt guilty about it.

"It appears that the demon that had been in the vase decided it'd be better to to possess her instead of an inanimate object."

She wasn't sure why she had decided to let him catch up and tell him this. After all, she still wasn't sure if he was behind the music box swap during the other heist. But, for some reason, she felt the need to talk- the tell him. To... confide in him.

She shook her head mentally. Confide in Sinbad? She barely even knew him. Yes, she knew his secret, but not because he had told her. And he didn't know that she knew about it. Why would she want to confide in someone she wasn't even close to, she had no idea. But she still found herself talking to him anyway, telling him what she planned to do.

"I'm going to expel the demon from her."

She gave him a pointed look.

"On my own."

-Sinbad; on the roof with Jeanne-

He knew that he was looking at her like she was crazy, but that was how he felt.

"Why don't you let me help you with this one? I mean, you know that my main goal is to beat you" although he couldn't yet tell her why, "but this isn't just an object possessed by a spirit. This is an actual person, and it's going to be a lot more dangerous, no matter how you look at it."

"No." her voice held conviction, and with it, he saw what looked like the weight of responsibility on her shoulders get heavy for the first time since he met her.

"Why not?"

Her eyes met his, and Sinbad saw the guilt in her blue orbs.

"Because, this is all my fault."

-Chiaki; next day-

He glanced over at Maron out of the corner of his eye for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past hour. She looked completely normal, but he could swear that her eyes were creased just a little bit from stress. He wanted to help her, he really did, but short of telling her that he was Sinbad, he didn't think that she'd trust him enough to help her handle her best friend. He understood, but that didn't mean that he liked it.

A sigh escaped his mouth.

Chiaki was tired. Not only was he going to a different school after transferring through part of the year, he had his work as Sinbasd to keep him busy at night, so homework had always taken as second priority in his life. And since his appearance, Jeanne seemed to be testing him by pulling off most heists, more often than his data told him was normal. It was like she wanted to exhaust him, and he wasn't that used to putting so much effort into something. Most things came fairly naturally to him, but this thief thing was beginning to take its toll. He doubted that it was the actual "thief" part that was making it so hard, though.

Chiaki allowed his eyes to wander back to Maron.

No, the reason he was having so much trouble adjusting to it was the girl next to him. Of that, he was sure.

-Maron; in class-

She felt Chiaki's eyes on her, but refused to look at him. After leaving Sinbad on the roof last night, she had detoured to Miyako's apartment window before returning to her own place to see how the demon possessing her was affecting her personality . Miayko didn't seem to act any different towards her dad or her mom. Did that mean that she would just react to Jeanne? On one hand, Maron hoped that that would be the case. But on the other hand, it meant that her chances of expelling the demon were limited to when she was Jeanne.

Although it wasn't necessary to wait for a demon to show itself if it was possessing an object, Maron had no idea how it'd work if the demon possessed a human. So, to be on the safe side, she could only attack when she knew the demon was making its presence known. That left two options- either confront Miyako directly as Jeanne, or pull of another heist.

Since she knew that the demon had possessed her friend because of Miyako's dislike for Jeanne, she didn't want to make the situation between them any worse than it already was. That meant that she had to pull of another heist.

Maron sighed under her breath.

This was becoming ridiculous. First, Sinbad appearing in her life, the music box that hadn't been possessed and might have been switched, and now Miyako had gotten possessed. If she hadn't known any better, she'd say that there was a direction to the escalations. But that couldn't be it. Finn had told her that she had been blessed by God to fight the evil on Earth, but she never mentioned that something had changed in their plans.

No, the angel hadn't told her about anything that would indicate that something was out of the ordinary, and Finn didn't lie to her. It must just be a bad luck streak.

A really sucky bad luck streak.

-Finn; outside-

She watched Access from his perch on the ice cream shop rooftop as he laid back, soaking up the sun's rays. Although she knew that angels who were not full angels had to gather their energy from nature (after all, she had to too) in order to become full angels someday, she wasn't completely sure why he was there. God had not told her that he would be sending anyone down to Earth to talk to her, help her, or otherwise, so that fact that Access had appeared unannounced was troubling. She knew that the dark angel was reckless, but surely he wasn't here just to relax? Heaven did not give out vacations to Earth.

Suddenly, an odd wind blew, and Finn felt the presence of a possessed object.

She saw Access' head turn too, and hid as he sat up, scanning his surroundings.

They spotted the target at the same time. An older woman was carrying what appeared to be a painting case. Access got up to follow the woman, and Finn tailed them both, a bit further behind. When the woman stopped at a relatively large house, very well kept and obviously upper-middle class, both angels waited outside. Finn wasn't sure if Access had a purpose or was just curious, but she needed to see where the old woman would place the picture, to both make sure that it actually was a demon, and to be able to give Jeanne directions so that she didn't have to waste time looking through every room.

The older woman unwrapped the canvas and hung it above her fireplace in the sitting room. Uncovered, it had a very noticeable dark aura. Convinced, Finn waited for Access to leave first before setting off on her own.

Not only was Access hanging around on Earth, but he was checking out demon possessed artworks? How strange.

Finn flew towards home.

It was suspicious, but she still didn't have enough evidence that she felt confident bothering Maron with the news of the dark angel's presence in the city. After all, it could still be nothing.  
Still, angels didn't just appear on Earth for no reason.

No, Finn was convinced that there was a reason behind all of this. She just had to look hard enough.

-Maron; after school-

She watched Miyako take the notice out of her shoe locker, which she had slipped in as soon as Finn told her the news. She knew that she had made the decision to exorcise her best friend during her next heist, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. She really was having a sucky bad luck streak.

Her ears caught Miyako's voice as she read the notice out loud in the empty room.

" 'Tonight, at 11 o'clock pm... I will steal the painting of the Famous Friends from the red house near the park, and the hatred from Miyako, the officer's daughter's, gaze. -Kaitou Jeanne' "

Maron watched as her best friend's face twisted into one of rage and betrayal. Her hands were shaking as she crumpled the note in them.

"We'll see about that, Jeanne." her best friend's voice, and the hatred it held, felt like a small, sharp knife was being driven into Maron's heart. She clutched her uniform skirt, refusing to tear her eyes away from the emotions her best friend was displaying for her alter-ego, for her. She'd burn that image into her mind, so that when she had to confront Miyako, she'd remember that it wouldn't be her best friend that she was fighting, but the demon possessing her.

She just had to remember who she was really fighting.

-Miyako and Jeanne; at the red house near the park; 10:45 pm-

As the officers readied the building, closing off all possible entrances and standing guard, Miyako stood in the room with the painting in it, along with its owner.

"So, we just have to wait until 11, then, is it?" the older woman asked her, curious. Apparently, she had heard of the famous thief, and was a bit excited about the possibility of catching a glimpse of the elusive female tonight. Miyako's lips pinched tight.

"No. She'll probably arrive early to steal it right from under our noses before we're ready. Thieves are never to be trusted. They lure you into a false sense of security, making you think that they're honorable, then..."

Her face twisted a bit in barely disguised hate.

"they show you their true colors."

Jeanne, who had positioned herself outside of the nearest window to watch her best friend as the night went on, felt her heart squeeze at her comment. She hadn't meant to make it seem like she had been cheating and gone back on her word by getting so close to her last mark, but just that one instant might have lost any trust that Miyako had in her being honorable.

She had always been a thief to Miyako, but she had always been a somewhat honest thief, by blatantly stating what she'd get and when she'd try for it. Miyako had never doubted her words, even when she was Jeanne. Until now. She wanted to fix the misunderstanding, but was unsure how. All she had was a guess. But if it might bring her best friend back to her, she'd try anything.

Jeanne looked skyward, towards a bright circle shining above the buildings- the clock tower. As she watched, the minute hand struck 10:53 pm. It was time to get into position.

The thief allowed herself one last glance at her best friend in the room before leaving the window to go to the other side of the building, where she stopped at the front door. She wasn't sure whether her plan was going to work, but she was going to try with all her might.

As she tugged on the edges of her gloves to make sure that they were secure, the sound of footsteps approached from her right.

"Sinbad." she greeted, not even turning to face him. She knew the sound of those boots anywhere.

"What are you doing here?"

"What are you talking about?"

His candid answer made her curious enough to look at his face. His eyes were serious, but when he spoke next, he smiled.

"I'm a rival thief. I'm here to steal what you're after."

She didn't believe him. Not for one second. Still, mixed in with the agitation she always felt for him, a new, stranger feeling that seemed uncomfortably too much like relaxation... and reassurance was beginning to creep in.

"I already told you, the officer's daughter is off-limits. As for the painting..."

There was no way she was finding enjoyment in this. Not while she was in such a bad situation. And no way was he somehow making her feel better. It must be lack of sleep.

"let's just see you try."

Sinbad smiled again, with what seemed like a more genuine grin, as the clock tower struck 11 pm.

"Let's do this."

Maron frowned at his eagerness, before putting her hands on the front door handle.

"Come on, puppy. This isn't a game."

"Oh? But isn't it?"

She glanced at him, about to reply with 'No it's not.', but the words never left her lips. His smile was still on his face, but his eyes held something different. They weren't joking, but... focused. Serious.

Instead of replying, she just shook her head as she opened the front door, and the two kaitous raced inside, side by side.

"Game start!"

-end chapter nine.

end chapter notations: Sorry that this chapter is pretty ridiculously long. Hopefully, it was worth the wait and I can get another chapter out sooner than last time.


	10. Messenger

Chapter Ten- Messenger

previously in chapter nine...

_"Come on, puppy. This isn't a game."_

_"Oh? But isn't it?" _

_She glanced at him, about to reply with 'No it's not.', but the words never left her lips. His smile was still on his face, but his eyes held something different. They weren't joking, but... focused. Serious._

_Instead of replying, she just shook her head as she opened the front door, and the two kaitous raced inside, side by side._

_"Game start!" _

and now... on with the story!

As they entered, Jeanne took note of the officers surprised faces. She had never used the front door before, and they knew it. But that was what tonight was about. Being unconventionally straightforward.

Heading directly for the room where she knew the painting was, Jeanne dodged attempts to grab her from all sides. A glance to her right showed Sinbad faring fairly well himself. But then, considering the fact that he was less known and had 'stolen' far less than she had under their noses, the majority of the officers were aiming for her, not him. As such, he didn't have much of a challenge.

As he caught up to her, he tossed a comment her way.

"You do realize what what you just said was contradictory to what you told me."

She glanced his way briefly before returning her attention to the task at hand.

"Force of habit."

"Oh, really? And here I thought that you were having fun."

His comment irked her, but Jeanne refused to be petty and trip him as she gained more ground and pulled ahead.

"Not this time."

She dodged another onslaught of officers, leaping with ease over a hidden trap door that opened below her feet. The action gave Sinbad just enough time to pull even with her again. It barely even registered in her mind that Sinbad was keeping up with her.

Barely.

"This time, it's completely serious."

She forced her attention towards the task at hand once again, lengthening her stride to pull ahead once more. She knew that she had to get to that room first. Despite what she had told Sinbad that night on the roof, she had the sneaking suspicion that he had no intention of standing on the sidelines while she confronted Miyako if he could help it. And although she doubted that he knew any more about exorcising a human than she did, she'd be a fool to let him try to when it was her best friend on the receiving end.

Without even having to stop to think about it, she knew that he wouldn't try to use the distraction of her facing off against Miyako to get to the painting. He had built their whole nightlife relationship around trying to best her at her own game. 'Stealing' the painting while she was otherwise occupied would be the cowards way to do things. And whatever Sinbad was, he wasn't a coward.

The thief in question behind her sneezed, and Jeanne felt herself smile despite her focused state of mind. So that old superstition was true after all.

They reached the room at the end of the hall in record time. But just as Jeanne was about to put her hand on the door, she had a sudden foreboding feeling and hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

Sinbad glanced at her as he caught up. She found herself unable to look at him, her whole body focused on the doorknob that she was mere inches from grasping, trying to reason with herself through this ominous state of mind. There was no way... No way... Right?

"It's strange to see you this nervous." the other kaitou commented off-handedly as he reached for the handle, and before she could take a full breath to warn him, his hand grasped the knob-

and he immediately jumped and let go with a resounding

"Ouch!"

Sinbad brought his hand up to look at it, and Jeanne could see the heat singes on his glove. His eyes met hers in shock, and Jeanne found herself unable to speak.

She couldn't believe it. Miyako had actually electrocuted the handle. And not just a mild shock, too. She seriously meant to hurt them.

Or more precisely, she meant to seriously hurt Jeanne.

"So that's why you were hesitant to touch it."

Sinbad turned to look back at the door in question.

"So what are we going to do now? Should we loop around and go in through the window?"

"... No."

"Huh?" he turned back to her, confused.

"Then what do you want us to do? Are you thinking of breaking down the door?"

"No. This is someone else's house."

Feeling nervous, and knowing what was coming, she self-consciously tugged on her gloves to make sure that they were secure. Not that they'd protect her much, if Sinbad's reaction had been any indication.

"We're thieves, not house-wreckers."

-Sinbad; in the hallway with Jeanne-

He saw the look in her eyes change to one of stubborn determination, and in that instant, he knew what she was going to do. As she reach for the handle, he grabbed her wrist before she could touch the knob.

"Wait, Jeanne. There's other ways to do this."

She looked at him, the full force of her gaze, of her decision, in her eyes.

"No there isn't. Not this time."

She turned her stare to the handle in question, obviously dismissing him.

"Let go of my hand, Sinbad."

He wanted to be stubborn. He wanted to drag her away and go after Miyako himself, to keep Jeanne safe from harm. But the stare she had given him had shown him that, no matter what he thought or said, she'd made up her mind. And no matter what, she'd do what she thought was best. Even if she had to wait her all night for him to release her wrist.

Reluctantly, he let his hold on her loosen, until she was free from his grasp. Slowly, his arm dropped to his side, where it clenched into a fist. But still, even though he disagreed with her, and despite the fact that he knew what was going to happen next, he didn't step back. If she wanted to do it this way, fine. But he wasn't going to leave her to handle it on her own.

She didn't glance at him as she grasped the door handle. He saw the jolt go through her, and for a second, it looked like she was going to let go. But then he saw her grit her teeth and grasp the handle tighter. Slowly, she turned the doorknob, and pushed the door open.

And standing in the middle of the other side of the room was Miyako, arms crossed, with a smirk on her face.

-Jeanne-

She didn't let go of the handle until she was sure that the door wouldn't swing closed on them as she stepped into the room. Her eyes met Miyako's, clouded by the demon possessing her, as soon as she stepped past the threshold.

"And here I thought that my special doorknob would deter you. I guess I underestimated your greed for this painting."

The girl tapped the picture frame in question with her knuckles. It hung innocently enough behind her, but Jeanne saw the faint dark aura that it emitted. This time, unlike the music box, it wasn't a fake.

"It's not the picture that I was aiming for when I grabbed that handle." Jeanne replied, refusing to give the demon possessing her best friend the satisfaction of seeing the pain from her "joke doorknob" encounter on her face or in her body language as she strolled confidently towards the girl.

"It was Miyako."

Miyako retreated away from the painting, but Jeanne didn't even hesitate to follow her. And with each step she gained more ground than Miyako put between them.

As she drew closer, her friend's face became less confident and less sure of herself. When Jeanne had closed the distance to almost an arms length, and it was clear that she had no interest in the artwork hanging on the wall, the girls' face twisted in a combination of fear and horror.

"St-stay back. Get away from me!"

She pulled out a knife and began swinging it wildly in front of her, as if to protect herself from an attack.

"You- you thief!"

Undeterred, Jeanne continued to advance, until she was close enough to be in harms way of the knife.

"I'll- I'll cut you if you come another step closer! I don't trust you! You _liar_!"

Deftly, the female kaitou grabbed her best friend's swinging arm at the wrist, bringing it so that the knife pointed right at the female kaitou's heart.

"Ah... ah!"

Miyako's face looked close to tears from her combined fear, surprise, and frustration.

"What are you doing?"

"Cut me, then, if you're so willing." Jeanne said, her voice calm. She stared into her friend's face until Miyako dragged her eyes away from the sight of the knife's position to meet hers.

"If it'll get you to trust me, I have no complaints."

Jeanne felt her lips twist into a wry smile.

"I may be a thief, but I couldn't live with you hating me, Miyako."

"Ah... wa... what are you t-talking about...? You... you're just a... thief...A... criminal... Why should I... "

Jeanne watched the emotions cross Miyako's face, and the internal struggle between the girl and the demon possessing her.

"Yes, I am a thief. But I'm willing to make up for my mistake that time with you right now. I should never have done that. I'm sorry."

"You... you..."

The hand that held the knife began to shake, and tears rolled down Miyako's face, despite the fact that the expression on her face was reflecting the demon's hatred.

"_No_!"

In a sudden burst of strength, she pulled back, yanking her hand out of the kaitou's grip and flinging the knife across the room. She covered her face with her hands, tears falling faster than they had been a moment ago.

"No... I-I can't... do it... I...I don't hate you enough to do_ that_..."

She slumped to the floor, as if her legs couldn't support her anymore.

"You're... just a thief... Why should I... care... what happens to you... "

As the two kaitous watched, her body was encased in a dark purple aura.

As discretely as she could, Jeanne pulled out one of her white pins.

"Here... Miyako. I have something to give you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sinbad give her a doubtful look, but she chose to ignore it. She wasn't going to forcefully exorcise her best friend if she could help it.

The girl turned her head to look at her, uncovering her face in the process. The tears in her eyes and running down her cheeks highlighted the confusion in her expression.

"Wh...at... ?"

Jeanne held out her hand, and, after a minute's hesitation and an internal struggle with the demon possessing her, Miyako held out one of her own to receive it.

Carefully, the kaitou placed the object in her best friend's hand.

"A... pin?"

Jeanne smiled at her, a mixture of sadness and kindness reflected in her expression.

"It's my way of apologizing."

Slowly, Miyako's hand closed over it and she brought it close to her body, taking a deep breath that was a bit unsteady.

"Th-thank you..."

And, as the two thieves watched, the dark aura around her began to dissipate into the pin.

Jeanne was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw Miyako, who was beginning to get to her feet, wobble. The kaitou stepped forward quickly, and managed to catch her best friend just in time before she fell.

"Sorry... it seems I'm a bit... tired..." the girl mumbled, her voice sounding worn out.

_It must be a side effect of having been possessed, _Jeanne thought. Carefully, she adjusted her grip so that she was more easily supporting Miyako's weight.

"It's okay. I can help bring you to one of the officers outside so you can get a ride home."

It'd be best if she didn't let the girl know that she knew where she lived. It would just cause problems later on, and she didn't want another repeat of what had happened this time. Once had been enough.

"You... won't steal the painting tonight?"

Jeanne smiled at her.

"No. I'll 'steal' it some other time."

"And... Sinbad...?"

The girl glanced his way, a worried look on her face. Jeanne was surprised that the girl had even noticed the other kaitou, considering that he hadn't moved since they had gotten in the room. She didn't even bother looking at him for confirmation before speaking.

"No, he won't touch it either. I won't let him."

"Okay... Good..."

Miyako's eyes began to close as if she was too exhausted to keep them open, and the kaitou was relieved that she didn't question the fact that kaitou Jeanne had just promised that her rival Sinbad wouldn't 'steal' anything tonight.

"Hey... Jeanne?"

"Yes?"

"How... did you know my name?"

Jeanne gave her a wry grin that she hoped Miyako was too tired to notice.

"All the police in this area know about you. The daughter of someone on the force who works tirelessly to capture the famous kaiou Jeanne. I'd be a fool to not have done my research and know who it is that's pursuing me."

"You won't... use that to... do something underhanded during the day?"

Jeanne smiled at her again, but this time it was a sadder smile.

"No. I promise."

"G-good... But that doesn't mean... that I've... let you off the hook..."

"I'd expect nothing less from you." was the kaitou's honest reply. And with that, Miyako fell asleep. As her eyes closed completely, her breath deepened, and the hand that had held the pin opened.

Although it should have dropped to the floor, it hovered, drawing Jeanne's attention, and she stared at it. It was still glowing purple, and still a pin instead of a chess piece.

Suddenly, there was a sound like a cackle.

"You think you've defeated me, but this is just the first wave." a voice said, and Jeanne realized that it was the demon speaking.

As the voice disappeared, the pin began to change. Jeanne caught the chess piece before it could reach the ground. She did it automatically, but when she looked down at it, she was surprised, and a bit unnerved, to see that it wasn't a pawn like she was used to seeing, but a knight.

Did that mean that there were different levels of demons that she had to seal, and that up until now, she had just been dealing with the lowest type?

"So... it's started, has it?"

"Huh?" Jeanne looked at Sinbad, her one hand supporting Miyako and the other grasping the chess piece.

"What's started?"

She turned her body towards the kaitou, whose head was down, his bangs shadowing his eyes.

"Sinbad?"

The kaitou looked up. The moonlight coming in from the window cast light on his face.

And then he left, suddenly, leaving her all alone.

-Jeanne; alone in a room with an unconscious (sleeping) Miyako-

Jeanne stood there, able to follow him but at the same time, unwilling to. Sinbad had just let something slip that meant that he knew what was going on. The switched box, Miyako being possessed, Sinbad appearing, could there be a connection to everything that had been happening recently?

Remembering the painting, she gently set Miyako down and pocketed the knight. Keeping her steps light as to not wake the girl, she walked over to to possessed artwork. Pulling out another pin, she scribbled a message on a card and attached it to the object, sticking it within two inches of the picture frame without even glancing at it as she turned back to retrieve her best friend.

As she left the room, a breeze from the window blew in, fluttering the piece of paper.

'I have stolen the hatred from Miyako and will return for the painting of the Famous Friends in two days at exactly 11 o'clock at night. This time, I will not enter through the front door. I look forward to another fair and honest battle of whits between myself, Miyako, and the police force. - Kaitou Jeanne'

-two days later; 10:36 pm; outside the red house near the park-

Jeanne stood on the branch of a nearby tree. She had watched over Miyako's behavior the past two days, and was pleased to see that she had fully recovered, both personality-wise and health-wise. It was good to know that the fatigue that Miyako had felt after being exorcised was only temporary. And the girl was as enthusiastic as ever about catching Jeanne, with none of the hatred or distrust from before present in her voice when she talked about how this time, she'd 'capture that thief'.

It looked like this 'heist' would be back to the same agenda as always- pitting Miyako's ingenuity against the kaitou's physical prowess, and her mind against her best friend's. And that was just how she liked it.

Of course, there was one other thing that she'd have to take care of, but that wouldn't come until later.

She watched an officer pass the window that she was positioned near, checking his patrol walk against the large town clock. Only a few more minutes left.

-11:59 pm-

"Curse you, Jeanne! I'll get you next time!"

The kaitou looked back as she lept out the window and into the night. Miyako's eyes were sparking with competitive fire, but she could have sworn that as the girl turned away, she smiled. Yes, things were back to the way that they should be...

She glanced to her right just in time to see Sinbad exiting the building from a different window.

Well, almost.

Without hesitation, she changed direction so that she'd catch up to the other kaitou before her got too far. The night was young. Now, her real work of the night began.

-Sinbad; after the heist (and another failed attempt to 'beat' Jeanne), ten rooftops away from home-

It was so sudden that he almost didn't stop in time. Jeanne appeared out of seemingly thin air and landed right in front of him. If he had been a little less aware of his surroundings, he might've run into her- literally.

"Sorry. I just wanted to catch up with you before you reached home." the kaitou said lightly.

Suspicious, he stared at her, knowing better than to say something that might give his identity away.

Jeanne sighed, as if tired, and gave him an unreadable look.

"So, I'm sure that you realized that back when Miyako was possessed, I was being uncharacteristically straightforward."

"Yeah. I was a bit surprised by that."

"Well, I decided then that now would be as good a time as any to clear the air between us, just like how I did with Miyako."

He wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was going. Dozens of topics ran through his head as to what she could be talking about- most of them ones that he didn't like.

"So I made up my mind that this is the last time I'm going to be so up front as kaitou Jeanne."

She gave him a steady stare, not waiting for his to comment on that before speaking again.

"It'd be too much of a coincidence otherwise for you to appear like this as kaitou Sinbad if you didn't know, so I'll just come out and say it- you know my real identity, don't you, Chiaki?"

He felt his mind go blank with something that felt akin to panic, but there was no denying what she said. So, reluctantly, he gave in.

"Well" Sinbad sighed, "No one ever claimed you were stupid."

Well, there was no use in keeping the charade up if she already knew. He reached up to the tie in his bandanna and gave it a tug. As it unraveled, his clothes and outward appearance changed, until he was once again Chiaki.

Jeanne crossed her arms, staring at him in what he could almost call a glare.

"Now tell me why you're here." Jeanne said.

Chiaki sighed, knowing her well enough through observation and interaction to know that she probably wasn't going to like his reasoning.

"I'm here to help. I planned to tell you this later if it happened, but it has obviously already began escalating. The demons have begun to get stronger, more confident, and chaotic. I'm here to help you exorcise and catch them, as sort of a partner."

-Jeanne; on the roof with Sinbad-

Jeanne shook her head, unconvinced with his reasoning.

"I don't need your help. I've been doing fine on my own up until now. If that's really the only reason, then you should give up."

Was that it? Well, she should have known better than to suspect something underhanded from someone like him. Having satisfied her curiosity and leveled the playing field (although, to be honest, it was still pretty uneven), Jeanne turned to leave

only to be suddenly pulled back around by Sinbad. He gripped her arm firmly, looking into her eyes with a serious expression on his face. It was the second time that she had seen such an expression on him, and she didn't want to admit that it unnerved her just a bit.

"I know that you've handled everything until now, but things are just going to keep getting harder the longer this continues. I want to help you. You don't have to do everything by yourself. I can accompany you."

"No. I'm fine on my own."

_How stubborn. _

Jeanne pulled her arm free and began walking away again. She didn't need help. She was capable enough on her own. She was... strong enough on her own.

"Jeanne!"

She closed her eyes, willing herself to block out his voice. She didn't need him. She could do all the work by herself.

"Jeanne!"

The kaitou fought to keep her pace even. She didn't have to run. Not from him. No one could catch her.

"_God_ sent me, Jeanne!"

She paused, steps faltering. His shout seemed to echo in the cool night air, loud enough to wake up everyone and reach the heavens.

Slowly, she turned, not wanting to believe her ears.

His eyes met hers as he stood, tall and unfaltering.

"He sent me to you, to help you."

end chapter.

end of chapter notations: One reader pointed out that Jeanne was contradicting herself in the last chapter, because she told Sinbad that it wasn't a game, but concluded with "Game Start!". I'm sorry for any confusion this caused. I completely didn't think when I put it in. Since it's her signature phrase (I can't remember if it's in just the manga, anime, or both), I automatically typed it in and considered it done. Although, I guess to be fair, it has a certain irony to it in hindsight. (insert wry smile here) So, to make up for it, I added more into this chapter to explain it away, and to justify my mistake (as they say, hindsight is 20/20). As always, thank you for reading, and thank you to the person who pointed out my error. I'm glad that my readers have been paying close enough attention to pick out my mistakes. :) I'm not joking. It's flattering, in its own way. Most importantly, it shows you care. :) I hope you enjoyed this newest update (which marks the first in a long time that I've updated two chapters of this story so quickly in succession), and see you next time!


	11. Heaven Sent

Chapter Eleven- Heaven Sent

summary- I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob sob sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!

ratings- T (just in case)

pairings- MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

disclaimer- I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. And they have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

last note: to change character perspective, I had to put their names, because this site's not letting me just put the dash on its own. Sorry for any inconvenience it may cause.

previously in chapter ten...

_"Jeanne!"_

_She closed her eyes, willing herself to block out his voice. She didn't need him. She could do all the work by herself. _

_"Jeanne!"_

_The kaitou fought to keep her pace even. She didn't have to run. Not from him. No one could catch her. _

_"_God_ sent me, Jeanne!"_

_She paused, steps faltering. His shout seemed to echo in the cool night air, loud enough to wake up everyone and reach the heavens. _

_Slowly, she turned, not wanting to believe her ears._

_His eyes met hers as he stood, tall and unfaltering. _

_"He sent me to you, to help you."_

and now... on with the story!

"He... what?" Jeanne said. Why would God send someone to help her? She was doing great without help. There were no problems with her. There had never been any problems.

"He knows what you're doing. He's... worried about you."

Jeanne felt tears well up in her eyes, threatening to fall. Images of her parents flashed through her mind, and she turned her back on him, unwilling to let him see her looking so weak. No... she was not going to go through this again. She wasn't going to think about the emotions it made her feel. Again, she took steps to leave.

"Jeanne, you have to listen to me." Sinbad said, his voice soft, but firm. It made her feel pitied, and that made her angry- angry at Sinbad, angry at herself... and angry at God for not leaving the subject alone. She didn't want to deal with it. She just wanted an escape. That's what being a kaitou had been about. She wasn't supposed to have to face reality when she was Jeanne.

"Maron."

The sound of her name, spoken so softly from his lips, was almost her undoing. She felt the tears threaten the surface of her lids and her throat constricted almost painfully. Her steps halted, but she refused to turn around.

"Tell God to assign you somewhere else. I don't need any help. I'm doing fine on my own."

And then she ran, leaping to other rooftops and away into the night.

-Jeanne; at a park two blocks from home-

She pulled at the tie that kept her hair up, undoing her transformation from kaitou Jeanne.

As Maron, she took a deep breath. The cool air filled her lungs and swept through her hair, and she sighed, forlorn.

Help? She didn't need help. She was fine on her own.

She looked to the clear night sky, dotted with stars and a beautiful round moon.

"Do you hear me? I don't need help! I'm strong!"

She stared at the stars, her expression looking a little sad.

"I'm... strong."

-Chiaki; school-

The next day, Chiaki noticed that Maron still seemed to be a bit despondent. She ignored him as usual, but now there was an added element to it- she was actively avoiding him. Miyako noticed it too, because she pulled him aside during break and asked him about whether or not the two of them had some kind of falling out. He had been unable to give her a straight answer. Because, to be honest, he didn't even know how to classify his relationship with Maron before she had started avoiding him. They certainly hadn't been friends, although he had definitely been aiming for at least that (although if he was honest, he had been aiming for her to fall for him). Now it was like...

-Maron-

Maron sat alone in her place while Finn was out scouting her next job.

It wasn't the silence of the apartment, or the nervousness of the upcoming job that made her feel like her she couldn't breathe, but the knowledge of what she was going to do. To confide in someone she barely knew, all because they shared similar circumstances. And really, they weren't even that similar. But they were both kaitous, sent by God to eradicate the evil on Earth. Besides, she needed to set the record straight with him.

-Sinbad; two nights later-

It was like she was trying to run away from it all.

The thief stood watch off to the sidelines as the adept female kaitou dodged the guards her best friend had placed around the painting. She finished, as always, with a flourish, before striking the painting with her pin and catching the resulting chess piece.

She looked up at him, and although her face was cheerful and jeering before as she danced among the officers, it was now solemn. Not as if she was just hiding something, but as if she had made some sort of conclusion.

-Kaitou Jeanne; present mission-

She stared up at Sinbad on his hidden away perch, having dropped the cheerful facade that she wore as a thief in lieu of the serious mask that she was now using to hide her uneasiness. She motioned for him to follow her as she escaped out the opposite window. She could already hear Miyako's disbelieving shriek at the ineffectiveness of her trap, but despite the fact that they were now back to routine, it was still a bit shaky in their relationship as thief and self-proclaimed thief catcher since the "incident", so Jeanne did no more than leave a parting note

_'Better luck next time. -Kaitou Jeanne' _

to flutter to the floor as she departed and her unbeknownst best friend entered the room.

-Sinbad; outside-

He was getting quite used this was the kaitou's first thought as he climbed on top of the roof that Jeanne was on. She had picked the same place that they had had 'that' talk, except that this time the moonlight was so minuscule that Jeanne didn't bother to stand that close to the chimney. That night seemed so far away now, in light of the progress the two of them had made in their... somewhat relationship. The way that she was staring at him now, with such a serious expression, testified to the fact that they were moving forward together... somehow.

"Have you ever wondered why I'm a kaitou?"

Her question came out of the blue, and she looked at him, her blue orbs boring into his. The intensity of her gaze stole anything that he might've said out of his throat. She looked so powerful, strong. And alone.

Surprisingly, Jeanne looked away first.

"I haven't seen my parents in a long time. They work abroad, and left me home alone. I felt useless. No matter how much I did, no matter how good I was, it was just me."

She looked so sad, he couldn't help but want to go over and hold her close. Tell her that it was alright. But she spoke again before he had the chance to decide whether that was a good idea or not.

"Then I met Finn. She told me that Kami needed me. That I was the only one who could change the world. Save it. That I was special. And she promised to stay by my side."

She looked his way.

"But then you came along. I wasn't so special anymore. It upset me."

As if ashamed of her words, her eyes drifted away.

"I enjoy being Kaitou Jeanne. It makes me feel strong..." she seemed to stare off into the distance, and Chiaki couldn't help but be drawn in by the look on her face.

"... needed..."

she looked at him then

"... wanted. I don't want to just fade into the background and be forgotten again."

So she had felt challenged by his position. Afraid. Alone again. He didn't want that. It wasn't why he was there. It wasn't what he wanted for her.

"You _are_ wanted, Maron." he said, purposely using her real name so that she knew which side of her he was talking about.

"We want you. We _need_ you. Kaitou Jeanne, or Maron Kusakabe. Whichever form you take, we need you to be yourself. Otherwise, we'd loose. After all"

he offered her a smile

"I don't have the ability to fulfill God's wishes on my own. Without you, I'd be lost. And not just when we're hunting demons."

She gave him a look that let him know that she didn't understand.

"What do you mean?"

The sound of their scanners went off, and the kaitous looked around them in time to see six black shadows rise from the ground to surround them.

"Drat. We were too focused. We should have seen them coming."

Jeanne spun to face the nearest one, her back to him. And Chiaki did the same, so that he was protecting her from behind. Damn it. This was too soon.

-Kaitou Jeanne-

"Don't sweat it. This is why I was sent to help you. He saw this coming. I would have preferred to prove myself to you first, but... well, I guess I'll just have to show you my full ability now." he sent her a charming grin before turning his eyes back to their opponents.

She didn't have to ask who Sinbad was referring to. But she did want to know why Kami had decided to send him instead of telling her directly. Still, that would have to be a question for another time. For now, she had to focus on the task at hand. One was easy. Six shouldn't be much more difficult.

Jeanne shifted her stance, preparing herself to attack, pins at the ready. But for some reason, she didn't feel tense. If anything, she felt...

"Well, I guess I'll just have to see for myself how good you are. Playtime's over. No more tests. This is the real thing." Jeanne replied, willing herself not to smile back at him. It was contagious when he did it. For some reason, it eased her and made her muscles relax a bit so that they weren't so tense. It was weird having someone stand at her side, but she still didn't know whether he could handle himself or not. She had no reason to feel comforted. So why did she?

"Don't worry. I won't disappoint you."

That made her look at him. That he could say something like that so casually to her... The very idea brought back memories that she'd rather forget. Of waiting in the dark, alone at home, waiting for her parents to call or return to her.

A black movement out of the corner of her eye had her spinning back, pin flying to meet the shadow before it had gotten very far. And then the real work began and all she could focus on was the present.

-Kaitou Sinbad-

He jumped out of the way of another shadow, aiming a pin its way and hitting it square in the chest. Another came up behind him, and he spun in time to block its downward strike with his arm. Locked in a power struggle against the demon, he couldn't reach for a pin. Sinbad grit his teeth and prepared to kick the shadow to get some space between them. But before he could, a white pin shot past his head and hit his opponent in the neck.

As the shadow demon screamed, he turned towards where the pin had come from, to tell Jeanne that he had had it under control-

only to stop speechless as he watched her work.

Jeanne had dodged a simultaneous attack from two of the shadows, back-flipping over a third as it grabbed for her. She landed on its shoulders and pushed off as one of the other demons lunged for her.

Jeanne landed lightly and spun in time to dodge the third shadow from getting a hit. She grabbed its arm and pulled it past her as the other two ran forward. Jeanne was surrounded.

Before he could run to help her, he saw it- her smile.

Confident, the kaitou grinned in triumph, her hands spreading to reveal three white pins.

And just as the three remaining demons charged at her, she twirled, hitting each one in the center of their chest. And as they exploded and became captured into white chess pieces, she faced him again, hair flying and with the same brilliant smile on her face. And Chiaki felt as if the breath had left his body.

It was like she was an angel.

end chapter


	12. The Angel from Above

**Chapter Twelve - The Angel from Above**

Summary: I thought of Maron and decided, what would she be like if the story was more mature? Not in that way you pervs, but what if she was less magical girl-ish. She still has magical powers, but she's a little older, and she uses her God-given supernatural strength, speed, and agility to fight instead (you know, the one that lets her jump on rooftops and stuff). Oh, and Finn is not evil here. I just can't stand the thought of cute little Finn having to be bad (sob). So... on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Happy readings!

Ratings: T (just in case)

Pairings: MaronxChiaki, JeannexSinbad, FinnxAccess

Disclaimer: I own neither Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne nor its characters. However, anyone who dares to take this story, word for word, as their own will have to answer to Finn and Access personally. And they have fangs. Just remember- you have been warned.

Last note: to change character perspective, I had to put their names, because this site's not letting me just put the dash on its own. Sorry for any inconvenience it may cause.

* * *

previously in chapter eleven...

_Jeanne was surrounded._

_Before he could run to help her, he saw it - her smile._

_Confident, the kaitou grinned in triumph, her hands spreading to reveal three white pins._

_And just as the three remaining demons charged at her, she twirled, hitting each one in the center of their chest. And as they exploded and became captured into white chess pieces, she faced him again, hair flying and with the same brilliant smile on her face. And Chiaki felt as if the breath had left his body._

_It was like she was an angel._

and now... on with the story!

It took a second for him to break out of his stupor, but when he did, all he could do was smile.

The little minx. She had planned to be surrounded.

Sinbad looked at the girl in awe as she off-handily caught the three falling pieces. She did it without taking her eyes off his. And her expression - triumphant, happy, exhilarated, he could go on. She really had enjoyed that - besting them all on her own, under her own power.

Kami, she was beautiful.

"Are you just going to stand there like an idiot?" she asked him, her voice breaking through his trance. But she didn't sound upset. In fact, she was still smiling, although she had toned it down a bit now that the adrenaline seemed to be wearing off.

He bent down to retrieve the other two chess pieces before glancing around for the sixth and last one from the start of the attack. Finding that one and picking it up, he realized that almost all of the pins in his hand were white. And, of course, the three in Jeanne's hand were white too. Despite his confident declaration in the beginning of the fight, it looked like she had really been the one who did all the work. He'd only gotten that one in the beginning.

The sight of the two white pawns and one black one brought a smile to his face, though. It made sense that she'd be so much better at this because of all her experience. And he didn't mind the difference in their abilities.

Except as an excuse to chase after her, that is.

Jeanne, meanwhile, was contemplating the attack.

She knew that the ambush now wasn't what Sinbad had meant when he said Kami knew she'd be needing help, but that the fact that the demons had actively attacked in a group was. Kami wouldn't have sent him for just one minor event like that, unless he was severely doubting her skill. That probably meant that the increase in dangerous incidents that she'd been noticing _were_ actually not a coincidence.

She moved the chess pieces that she caught around in her hand, debating with herself whether or not she should confront the other kaitou about her suspicions. But then again, she still didn't know him that well, and considering the fact that he hadn't mentioned his reasons for appearing until now, he might be less than forthcoming even if she asked him directly.

"Well, it looks like that's the end of the excitement for the night." Sinbad said, his voice breaking through her thoughts.

"It's time for me to head home."

He waved at her and winked, the smile on his lips both playful and secretive.

"Good night, Jeanne."

Absentmindedly, trying to get her thoughts back on track, she raised her hand as well.

"Good night, Sinbad."

It wasn't until after he had left that she realized that he had taken her chess pieces with him.

-the next day-

She couldn't blame him. Really. It was her fault for not asking for them back after he picked them up, having been too preoccupied with her own thoughts.

"Good morning, Chiaki."

"Maron." The boy turned to look at her, his surprise that she had willingly approached him at school showing on his face. "Good morning."

She decided that it was best to be direct, and skipped the rest of the formalities.

"Can I have them back?"

"Huh?"

Of course, only an idiot would buy that clueless look that he gave her.

"My stuff from yesterday. You accidentally took them home with you."

"Oh, _that_."

"Yes. Can I have them back?"

"Sure."

-Chiaki-

He shrugged and began to reach into his bag, before an idea hit him. The conversation with Jeanne last night had made him want to know more about her, and so when he had picked up the chess pieces after the fight, it had seemed the logical thing to pocket them and make off before she realized what he had done. How he was going to use them to his advantage, he hadn't known. Until right now. He could return them right now – after all, it had gotten her to speak to him when she normally wouldn't have, but both of them would enjoy it more in the long run if he didn't. Not that she was enjoying herself right now, but she would. Soon. At least, he hoped so.

He turned back around to face Maron, who was looking at him in a half-expectant, half-impatient look on her face.

"Sorry, I forgot. I left them at home. I didn't want them to get lost or taken by accident. That wouldn't have been very smart, don't you think?"

He smiled at her irritated look and held up his hands.

"No worries. I'll just put them into your mailbox for when you get home. You have gymnastics practice today, right? I don't have anything after this, so I'll do that after classes are over."

Maron looked a bit skeptical, but considering that she had no other option except to trust him, she conceded.

"Alright. But please make sure that you remember."

Chiaki grinned.

"Of course. There's no way I could forget."

-later that day-

He tapped the object against his chin, thinking, as he stared at the metal box. The numbers labeling it as a pair to her apartment looked so plain and unassuming, staring back at him from the front with bold block lettering. But he knew that it was just its appearance as a mailbox. That in reality what he was about to do could go one of two ways, and would either help or hinder his relationship with Kusakabe Maron.

He stared at the box for a moment longer before sliding his 'mail' into it. Thinking about it was pointless. He'd already promised her, so he couldn't back down. Besides, the only way he'd know for sure about her reaction was to do it and then wait and see.

-Maron-

She was following her usual routine and arrived home after gymnastics practice (it was still weird that Chiaki knew her schedule so well). That was when she noticed something strange - there was a letter sticking out of her mailbox. Heart thumping in a way that she hadn't felt it before, Maron slowly approached the metal box, believing that, at any moment, she'd find out that it was a mirage, a trick of her mind, and see it disappear. But no. Her hand, tentatively, touched it. Her fingers, slowly, drew it out. And as she turned it over, she saw…

A message from Chiaki?

Confused, Maron turned the envelope over again. Why would he be sending her mail? He lived right next door to her. He said that he would return the chess pieces, but there was no need for him to write her a note to go with it.

She set down her bag and opened the envelope. Inside was a piece of paper. She unfolded it.

It was a drawing of a chess board, with some pieces filled in. There were a lot more white pieces than black, both sides standing in their respective places on the board. Neither of the sides, however, were complete. Below it, Chiaki had written:

_'You may have the lead, but I'll soon even the odds. Do you accept the challenge?'_

and below it, he'd written an additional:

_'P.S. I'll hold the pieces from last night hostage until one of us wins.'_

Maron looked at the words, then back at the picture. She looked at the words again. Then the picture. The picture with 2 little black chess pieces, compared 9 of hers. And she couldn't help it. She laughed.

She laughed until she was holding her sides, one hand over her mouth and tears budding in her eyes.

When she finally calmed down, clearing her throat (she probably looked like an idiot to any passerby), Maron looked at the drawing again and smiled. Was this his way of saying he didn't want their relationship to change? That he was fine with competing against her if she wanted to do it herself? That he wouldn't leave her on her own? She smiled, although it was a bit sad from the memories it brought up.

Yeah, Maron thought, picking up her bag and heading to her floor.

Chiaki wasn't that bad after all. Maybe she'll give him a chance.


End file.
